Montrealers protest Lachine Hospital's decision to no longer accept ambulances

As of Tuesday, the emergency room at Montreal's Lachine Hospital no longer accepts patients who arrive by ambulance, but residents are pushing back against that decision, saying it could put people at risk.

Paramedics will now have to transport patients to other hospitals in the area.

The Lachine Hospital's ER will continue to operate every day between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., for walk-in patients. It will remain closed overnight.

The latest change does not affect people who have appointments at the hospital.

The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) announced that the ER would close overnight in October 2021. Since then, the services offered — from ER operating hours to paramedics' ability to bring patients there — have varied.

The decision to redirect ambulances to nearby hospitals was necessary due to staffing challenges, according to Claudine Lamarre, the MUHC's director of professional services.

"Human resources have been difficult to maintain and to increase," Lamarre told CBC Daybreak host Sean Henry on Monday. "All of this was certainly triggered in part by the COVID pandemic so we've had to really rethink our service in order to answer and take care of our patients and to optimize access."

Lamarre said ensuring there are enough nurses, respiratory therapists and physicians on site has been difficult.

She said the service cut is part of the "first step to redefine the Lachine Hospital," but the news isn't going over well with residents.

On Tuesday, a group gathered in front of the hospital and urged health authorities to reverse their decision.

According to Dr. Paul Saba, the former president of the hospital's council of physicians who still practises family medicine there, the hospital still has enough staff to deal with patients arriving by ambulance. He says the change is unnecessary and dangerous.

"Some people call it restructuring but this is not a business. These are peoples' lives that are at stake," said Saba, adding that resources have been directed away from the hospital.

"It's basically taking from a community hospital to relocate downtown."

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Lamarre said the MUHC is in touch with the Health Ministry and the Urgences-santé ambulance service to make sure closing the hospital to ambulances does not compromise patient care.

"We're putting all of what's necessary in place so that those transfers occur rapidly and safely," she said.

Last fall, work began on a $223-million project to expand the hospital, with completion slated for 2027.

'I find it really sad'

Maja Vodanovic, the borough mayor for Lachine, said she's used to services at the hospital being rolled back but the latest announcement hits harder.

"The news now is that it's permanent," she said. "I find it really sad that we don't have enough doctors."

Vodanovic acknowledged that the state of the Lachine Hospital can make people think twice about seeking care there.

She recalled having to drive a friend to a hospital about a year ago due to a health scare.

Although the Lachine Hospital was the closest facility, she chose to go to the MUHC's Glen site instead.

"It's a huge hospital and there are all the facilities and it's modern and you automatically go there," she said when talking about the Glen site.

The borough mayor said it's important that stakeholders work together to find a permanent solution to staffing problems and make sure the hospital can serve the community, especially when it comes to family medicine.