MONTREAL – MUHC workers took to the streets outside the Montreal Children’s Hospital in protest. They feel that impending cuts are coming, but they don’t know what form they’ll take.
“We’re still in the darkness, no information about what the cuts are going to be for the patients and the staff,” said Paul Thomas, who heads the MUHC’s union.
MUHC officials say they can be more specific once they know more from the provincial government. The umbrella group of teaching hospitals affiliated with McGill University has submitted a range of options to the provincial government for approval.
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“We can’t really say much more until we get the government’s feedback,” said Ian Popple, MUHC spokesperson.
This is a turbulent time for the MUHC. It’s flagship super hospital, currently under construction, has come under a microscope of late after an alleged kickback scandal hit the headlines. That scandal reportedly involved a payoff of several million dollars handed to former MUHC head Arthur Porter from SNC-Lavalin in exchange for the super hospital contract.
Now in the aftermath, and with Porter in the Bahamas stating he is too ill to return to Canada to face charges, the employees of the hospital network continue to worry.
“We hear there’s going to be cuts, but we haven’t heard the official word,” said Courtney Swindells, a social counselor at the Montreal Children’s Hospital.
“We’ve all got our backs up. We’re all concerned.”
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