Disturbing revelations concerning several deaths in the emergency room of the Lakeshore General Hospital in Pointe-Claire have forced the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, to launch an investigation.
This decision was announced in a statement sent Monday evening to the daily Montreal Gazette. The Montreal media has published a series of reports in recent days revealing disturbing details about several deaths in the emergency room.
Testimonies from staff members, reported by journalist Aaron Derfel, point to “preventable deaths” and attempts to hide the truth surrounding these incidents. Six cases recorded since 2019 are mentioned in the published reports of the Montreal Gazette.
In response, Minister Dubé called for an independent investigation “immediately,” reads the statement obtained by The Canadian Press.
“The facts reported are very worrying and we would first like to offer our condolences to the families affected. Let’s be clear: we do not compromise on the health and safety of patients.
Already a “ticking time bomb”
The minister’s office also points out that a report has already been written by a mediator and tabled last November. This document submits a series of recommendations that are in the process of being implemented in the hospital. The mediator, Marie Boucher, described the place as a “ticking time bomb” because the conditions were so precarious.
“Several measures have been put in place or are being implemented at the Lakeshore, such as placing people at risk of suicide or in preventive custody on stretchers visible from the nurses’ station. The recommendations of the independent inquiry will be no exception. We will follow up the file very closely, ”assures Minister Dubé’s office.
Among the disturbing facts revealed by the Montreal Gazettewe find the case of a former police officer who took his own life from an emergency stretcher in exactly the same way as he had done it a few hours earlier when he had been interrupted by a member nursing staff.
According to information obtained by the newspaper, the minister’s office was informed of at least three of the deaths at the time they occurred.
Canadian Press health content gets funding through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for editorial choices.