Report on MUHC’s fate in the hands of Barrette
Head of user committee suggests morale at all-time low at five-hospital network
Health Minister Gaétan Barrette now has in his hands a report that is expected to radically alter the destiny of the McGill University Health Centre at the most vulnerable point in its history.
Ostensibly, the report by Dr. Arvind K. Joshi is about mega-merger proposals — joining the MUHC with other health organizations.
But the minister last month declared there is a leadership crisis at the MUHC, raising concerns Barrette might use the report to undertake more aggressive actions, including placing the hospital network under trusteeship or appointing Joshi to lead the organization that has been beset by tens of millions of dollars in budget cuts.
Pierre Hurteau, co-president of the MUHC Central Users Committee, suggested morale is at an all-time low at the five-hospital network, and everyone is waiting anxiously for Barrette to pronounce on Joshi’s report.
“Everything is on hold until we see the report,” Hurteau said Tuesday.
“The MUHC has had to deal with all kinds of budget cuts, and the minister said that he would make the report public by now.”
In October, Barrette appointed Joshi, the former executive director of St. Mary’s Hospital, to undertake consultations concerning two proposals to merge the MUHC. Joshi said at the time he hoped to present Barrette with recommendations that would be the result of a consensus.
However, the MUHC’s board of directors rejected the two merger proposals in March, quashing any notion of a consensus.
The board also urged Barrette to restore funding to the MUHC to take into account the increase in its volumes for cardiac and cancer patients.
Rather than respond to the board, Barrette went on the radio to state that “there is a problem in terms of leadership at the MUHC and we are addressing that issue.” His press attaché, Julie White, has indicated the minister was waiting for Joshi’s report before taking any action.
Sources at the MUHC have told the Montreal Gazette that managers and staff are worried Barrette might place the hospital network under trusteeship or tap Joshi or another senior health ministry official to oversee the beleaguered organization.
Asked about such possibilities, White demurred on the question of a trusteeship or Joshi overseeing the MUHC. Since September, Martine Alfonso has served as interim executive director of the MUHC.
“We have received (Joshi’s) report,” White said by email on Tuesday. “We are in the process of reviewing it and will make it public, in all transparency, at the opportune moment.”
For his part, Joshi referred all questions to Barrette’s office: “I am confirming that I submitted my report to minister Barrette at the end of last week. Since my mandate is completed, I would suggest that you contact the minister’s office for any further information regarding my report.”
And Vanessa Dahma, a spokesperson for the MUHC, was also silent on the possibility of some form of trusteeship or a major new appointment: “We have no comment on the matter. That being said, we focus on continuing to deliver quality care while respecting the balanced budget we have set for 2017-2018.”
Meanwhile, the union representing nursing staff has sent an urgent letter to Barrette condemning $120 million in budget cuts to the MUHC over the past five years, and warned that patients are no longer receiving the care that they deserve.