Lachine Hospital ER has been operating overnight despite claims otherwise

While the management of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) refuses to say publicly that the emergency department of the Lachine Hospital is operational 24/7, doctors are getting impatient and demanding greater transparency.

For more than four months, the MUHC has been hammering home the message that the Lachine Hospital ER is closed at night, from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., when in fact it is not. Local residents in need of emergency care can come in at any time of night.

The Association des médecins omnipraticiens de Montréal (AMOM) says it doesn't understand management's obstinacy.

"Frankly, it's not complicated to say: the medical staff is here, the emergency department is open, thank you very much, we're offering care to the population and that's that," said its president, Dr. Michel Vachon.

He explains that this ambiguity on the part of management "creates an unbearable climate of uncertainty" in the field. With a shortfall of 380 general practitioners on the island of Montreal,doctors are spoiled for choice, and can easily go and work in another emergency department or follow up patients in CHSLDs.

The hypothesis raised by several stakeholders casts doubt on the MUHC's good faith in saving the Lachine Hospital.

Management had clearly stated its intention to transform the vocation of the community hospital into a centre dedicated to the treatment of chronic illnesses, less acute cases, and palliative care. However, the strong mobilization of the public, with the support of medical staff and politicians, thwarted the project.

Last April, MUHC management confirmed that the Lachine facility would maintain its status as a community hospital.

Then, after fearing a shortage of medical staff, doctors rallied to fill the need.

"Everyone mobilized on the ground to keep things open and, frankly, we'd like to see more transparency from the MUHC's communications side," reiterated Vachon.

He praises his colleague Head of the Montreal Regional Department of General Medicine (DRMG), Dr. Arianne Murray, who "worked hard with the physicians on-site to find the manpower needed to maintain 24/7 service", he says.

"Despite all this, MUHC communications continue to uphold false information," the family doctor insists.

Vachon appeals to the duty to serve the French-speaking population of Montreal's West Island. He wants people to know that they can obtain quality health care, close to home, at all times.

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This report was first published by The Canadian Press in French on June 16, 2023.