'Very, very concerned': MUHC has lost 12 beds in cancer ward since November
One-third of the beds in the McGill University Health Centre's cancer ward has closed since last fall due to staff shortages, which is raising concerns on what effects this might have on patients, CTV News has learned.
Five months ago, the MUHC's oncology department had 36 beds. However, six of them closed in November and another six shut down last Friday.
"Labour shortages resulting in bed closures are affecting the entire health-care network, and the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is no exception," wrote spokesperson Bianca Ledoux-Cancilla in an email on Wednesday.
The head of the MUHC Patients' Committee says the loss of beds for cancer patients is a worrying trend — one that elected officials need to address immediately.
"Every department in the hospital is a big deal. Bed closures for patients in every department are a big deal and patients have every right to be very, very concerned about this," said Ingrid Kovitch in an interview.
"We see staffing shortages that seem to be getting worse so there are progressive closures of beds and the beds that are actually open, there's a huge percentage, like upwards of 15 per cent, are occupied by patients no longer requiring hospital care but who are waiting for a bed in a more appropriate setting, like a long-term care facility or a rehabilitation centre. The effective number of beds available for patients needing hospital care is shrinking and shrinking."
Ingird Kovitch, chair of the MUHC patients' committee, speaks to CTV News on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2024. (CTV News)
The loss of beds comes as the province is trying to lure nurses who went into private health care back into the public system.
The MUHC says that it will ensure that patients are "treated by the appropriate teams" through other kinds of services, and that the centre is "actively" trying to recruit clinicians and staff to reopen the beds, as well as others that were closed in recent years.
It will take serious political will for the province to address the problem, according to Kovitch, who says making more spaces in long-term care centres and rehabilitation facilities to free up space in the hospitals will ease the burden on the health network.
Health Minister Christian Dubé declined to answer questions from CTV News about the closures.
Premier François Legault didn't say much when asked about it Thursday at the National Assembly. "Of course, as you know, we're in negotiations right now with nurses with the FIQ and what we're trying to get is more flexibility," he told reporters during a press scrum.
The new MUHC super hospital is shown in Montreal, Sunday, April 26, 2015, on its first day of opening. A massive hospital move is underway in Montreal today as patients are being transferred from the Royal Victoria to the newly-built "superhospital." THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Kovitch says the government needs to act because the shortages have far-reaching effects across the health network.
"Emergency rooms are incredibly congested primarily with patients who are admitted to the hospital and who don't have a bed on the ward to go to. That affects the care of every patient coming through that emergency room. And, of course, patients waiting for surgeries that require an ICU bed post-operatively or just another bed on the wards, if those beds don't exist, that causes additional surgery cancellations and delays," she said.
"The government really needs to sit back and analyze where are the shortages that are hurting us, what can they do to address these because the current situation and the current trend is really very, very frightening."
Opposition parties are also telling the Legault government to take action to address the problem.
"For those who are in need of receiving health-care services, the government must act today. Now," said interim Quebec Liberal Party leader Marc Tanguay Thursday at a press scrum.
"Because of their lack of planning and because of the poor conditions, working conditions for health workers, we are … experiencing a shortage [in the] work force," argued Joël Arseneau, the Parti Québécois' health critic.
Patients rights' activist Paul Brunet says it's up to management to solve the shortage problem and not force patients to wait longer.
"Find it. It's your job, not the patients," he said in an interview. "We don't accept that anymore. The kind of money you are paid, you have the obligation of finding adequate alternatives. This is your job."
The MUHC also confirmed it closed the 17 East wing of the Montreal General Hospital that is used to treat patients with superbugs, but it says it is only the physical space that was closed — the beds were moved to other wards.
With files from CTV Montreal's Max Harrold
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Iran President Ebrahim Raisi found dead at helicopter crash site, state media says
Iranian president, the country’s foreign minister and others have been found dead at the site of a helicopter crash Monday after a search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest.
Court eases internet restrictions for Sask. man who matched with a 15-year-old girl on Tinder
A Saskatchewan man who had a sexual encounter with a 15-year-old girl he met on Tinder successfully appealed to shorten release conditions barring him from online dating.
Stittsville residents seeking answers as bylaw cracks down on street basketball nets
Stittsville residents on Kearnsley Way are seeking answers after an unusual bylaw crackdown on Friday. Every home with a basketball net received a ticket instructing homeowners to remove their nets from the road.
'A horrible way to start the summer': 3 killed in serious boat crash on lake north of Kingston, Ont.
Three people were killed and five others were injured Saturday night following a boat crash on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
What do we know so far about the mysterious crash of the helicopter carrying Iran's president?
The apparent crash of a helicopter carrying Iran's president and foreign minister on Sunday sent shock waves around the region.
Ex-partner charged with first-degree murder after 55-year-old woman killed in Montreal
Less than 24 hours after Montreal's 12th homicide investigation began, Montreal police confirmed that a 55-year-old woman's death in St. Michel is the island's 13th homicide. The woman's ex-spouse has been charged with first-degree murder.
Walmart, Costco refusing to sign grocery code of conduct 'untenable': industry minister
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it's 'untenable' for 'smaller players' like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the government- and industry-led grocery code of conduct, now that industry giant Loblaw has agreed to do so.
VIDEO Born without front legs, this dog has been inspiring the world for 3 years: Dresden farm owner
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
Toxic drugs circulating in northeastern Ont., police say
Canada’s largest First Nations police service, the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service issued a community safety alert as extremely toxic drugs are likely circulating in many of the communities it serves.