MUHC superhospital to cut 10 per cent of specialist staff

The McGillUniversity Health Centre is slashing its roster of medical specialists, butHealth Minister Gatan Barrette is reluctant to call the change a cut."

The change represents the loss of about 85 positions at the new MUHCsuperhospital, either through attrition or the redistribution of doctors.

The administration at theMUHCsaid Thursday it knewthechanges were coming.

The clinical plan for the MUHC, which we are now putting into place, does dictate a smaller number of beds and a smaller footprint for the outpatient visits,"Dr.EwaSidorowicz, the director of professional services at theMUHC.

Barrette says for the MUHCs plan to work, specialists expertise must be spread over the entire hospital network in the regions.

The plan was to take action so that patients in the suburbs would see services migrate from the MUHC and from McGill to their area, said Barrette.

But the plan has patient advocates worried

We'll see when patients tell us eventually they were taken care of in their own region because their specialist was transferred- Paul Brunet, patients rights advocate

Paul Brunet ofQuebec's council for patient protectionis hesitant to buy into the new system.

Should we trust these kind of declarations? he said.

We'll see when patients tell us eventually they were taken care of in their own region because their specialist was transferred."

The head ofQuebec'smedical specialists federationis also wary.

"Hospitals [in the regions] are already full.There are no operating rooms that have availability to work and see patients," said Diane Francoeur.

Francoeur says doctors who do leave the MUHC might not have the resources and facilities they need to do their jobs at smaller centres.

The MUHC superhospital is scheduled to open in the spring of 2015.