Two managers resign from Jewish General Hospital
Two senior managers have resigned from the Jewish General Hospital, Radio-Canada is reporting.
The report by investigative reporter Julie Vaillancourt, for the Radio-Canada program Enquête, centres around claims by a worker with a number of companies including RA-Rénovaction, which was doing maintenance at the hospital.
The worker, Roberto Astorga, told Radio-Canada that he was approached to do some painting for Kotiel Berdugo, a manager at the hospital.
“He liked my work so much that he requested I do some painting for his parents,” Astorga told Radio-Canada.
“We were supposed to fill in our invoice as if we were working at the hospital,” Astorga says.
Berdugo, however, says the Jewish General Hospital did not pay for the work.
No bill exists for the work because it was paid in cash.
The Jewish General Hospital undertook an internal investigation into the claims.
Berdugo has since resigned his post.
Recently, Quebec’s Anti-Corruption Squad launched its own investigation at the hospital.
The Jewish General Hospital recently inaugurated a new emergency room constructed with $95-million in funding from the Quebec government.
Several companies involved in its construction, said they lost money on the project but it’s believed that only one was compensated at the time.
Radio-Canada’s investigation found receipts for $50,000 submitted for work on two rooms that were never built.
Radio-Canada alleges the fake invoices were issued at the request of the hospital’s director of real estate, Philippe Castiel.
Castiel has since resigned.
The Jewish General Hospital refused to comment on the circumstances of the two resignations.
Its internal investigation continues.
