Quebec invests $20M to reopen 18 dormant operating rooms

The Quebec government is investing $20 million to permit hospitals to open 18 dormant operating rooms across the province.

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It's part of a $300 million reinvestment in the health system that was first announced inthe last provincial budget update.

Health Minister Gatan Barrette said the new, recurrentfinancing was made possible by savings from the reorganization of the health care system.

The 18 operating rooms are all existing, equipped rooms that weren't being used because of a lack of money to keep them going.

3,100 more operations at MUHC

The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), which Barrette has criticized for going over budget, will get funding to operate 2.5 additional ORs: one at the Montreal General, one for adult surgeries at the Glen siteand 0.5 for pediatric surgeries. That works out to 3,100 more surgeries annually.

However, Barrette says he wants to see a commitment from the MUHC to balance its budget.

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"It means it's reflection time at the MUHC," said Barrette, without specifying what exact conditions hospitals would need to meet in order to receive the OR funding.

The financing works out to approximately $1.2 million per OR annually.

The 18 operating roomsinclude:

• 3 ORs at the Jewish General Hospital.
• 2.5 ORs at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC):
  • 1 at the Glen site.
  • .5 at the Montreal Children's, at the Glen site.
  • 1 at the Montreal General Hospital.
• 2 ORs at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital.
• 2 ORs at Sainte-JustineChildren's Hospital.
• 3 ORs at the Centre hospitalierde l'Universit de Montral(CHUM):
  • 2 at Hpital Notre-Dame.
  • 1 atHtel-Dieu de Montral.
• 1 each at Santa-Cabrini Hospital, Hpital Fleurimont (CHUS),HpitalSaint-Franois d'Assise (CHUL).
• 2 ORs atHpitalde Gatineau.
• .6 at Centre hospitalier rgionalDe Lanaudire.

The Health Ministry predicts the additional operating rooms will allow hospitals to perform an additional 22,444 surgeries annually.