Quebec's Health Minister says the MUHC should not be complaining about a planned reduction in doctors at the new superhospital site.
Earlier this week CTV News reported that 85 medical specialists, about ten percent of the total number that work at current MUHC hospitals, would be eliminated.
Gaetan Barrette said that has been the plan for years, and that doctors were very aware that several dozen specialists would be moved to suburban Montreal hospitals.
"Some doctors did not accept the situation. Some doctors should have moved their practices from McGill to the South Shore," said Barrette.
"They did not so they're facing today a situation."
Last fall the MUHC proposed raising the number of specialists by about 20 doctors, but Barrette said several governments have been emphasizing the idea of making specialists available near people's homes, and not just in Montreal.
"They cannot describe this as getting rid of. It is not true to put things that way because from day one it was known that at the end of the process McGill would be reduced by about 30 percent," said Barrette.
The MUHC argues that as a teaching hospital it requires more specialists than suburban hospitals, and also needs a large number of experts in order to attract and retain doctors who are seeking to keep their skills at the highest levels.
