A sign that the staff shortage is hitting hard, the emergency department of the Lachine Hospital, in the west of Montreal, will close its doors in the evening and at night from Sunday evening.
• Read also: Lachine hospital emergency rooms closed in the evening and at night
• Read also: Mobilization against the temporary closure of the Lachine emergency room
Thus, from Sunday 7:30 p.m., and until 7:30 a.m. the next morning, patients and ambulances will be redirected to other hospitals.
Ten nurses and several respiratory therapists are missing for the emergency room to function normally.
This is the first time in its history that the Lachine hospital has been forced to reduce its services in this way.
Sunday at 2 p.m., a mobilization took place in front of the Lachine hospital. Doctors, nurses and politicians were present to show their support.
Dr. Paul Saba, President of the Council of Physicians of the Lachine Hospital, wishes to challenge Premier François Legault on this subject.
“You know health, you are a former Minister of Health. You are the prime minister, you must issue an executive order to keep our emergency open 24/7. A community hospital without emergency is not a hospital, ”argues Dr Saba.
Dr Saba also specifies that it is the only French-speaking hospital in the West of the island, and that it serves nearly 250,000 people.
He is also asking for incentives to pay nurses and respiratory therapists to have the same premiums they have downtown.
“The MUHC has stolen our staff, it’s unfair, and Mr. Legault is able to keep our emergency rooms open 24/7,” laments Dr. Saba.
“A reorganization is not an emergency closure,” laments Dominique Anglade, leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ).
“We are in an unprecedented situation. What I’m asking François Legault is to come here, there are solutions, ”she adds.
“I am in support of the population, but also in support of the people in the health sector who are here with us today to say that this is not acceptable and that there are solutions. The government must get out of its ivory tower, come onto the ground and resolve the situation. And if they need money, I would like to remind you that the $ 1 million that we pay for unvaccinated people to go for testing should be invested in bonuses to support people who can come here. “
Marquette’s Liberal MP, Enrico Ciccone, finds it deplorable that his calls to the government to keep the emergency open have not been heard.
“Listen, it’s a local, community hospital that serves a poor and aging population. People here live in precariousness. It is unacceptable that people are going to show up here and come up against a closed door, ”believes the deputy.
He also finds worrying about the exodus of nursing staff leaving for downtown hospitals.
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