Health Minister Gaetan Barrette 'will not impose' MUHC merger

Quebec Health MinisterGaetanBarrette has begun what he calls "a reflection process," to discuss the potential for a merger between theMcGillUniversityHealth Centre (MUHC)andtwo regional health authorities.

Barrette told CBC Montreal'sDaybreak that he "will not impose" a merger and that he hopes to involve the community in the decision.

Representatives from all three health networks participated in a meeting Wednesday evening andheard pitches from two candidates vying to step in as the MUHC's new CEO.

• MUHC head Normand Rinfret stepping down in September

The position has been vacant since the formerpresident and executive directorNormandRinfretstepped down last month.

Candidates LawrenceRosenbergandBenotMorin presenteddifferent visions of where the network should be headed.

For now, Barette has suspended the search until a decision on the merger can be made.

Two candidates square off

Morin, head of the West Island health board, says hewants to see it merge with the MUHC.

"What we find is, the easier the integration, and the greater the project, the more value it will bring. The more complex the project, the more risk will come with it," he said.

"And what moves towards the green or the red, one of the drivers is complementarity of services. The more we complement each other, the easier the integration is, and the more value it brings about."

Rosenberg,head of the West Central Montreal health board, wants to see a merger that encompasses all three networks.

• MUHC patients' committee worried about 'rumoured' hospital merger

He says the current system is fragmented and inefficient.

"Integrated care can only be achieved by institutions that are engaged in a network where the operating principle is cooperation and sharing of information and clinical practices,"Rosenbergsaid.

"To better serve the users and patients effectively, [to] deploy our health care and social services resources, we need a fully integratedMcGillHealth and social services network ... that is all institutions."

Barrette said he heard "compelling arguments" from both candidates and thathe feels confident that the merger would have "a positive effect."