MONTREAL — Lachine Hospital should return to its 24-hour emergency department by the fall, the McGill University Health Center confirmed Wednesday. We also promise to increase the number of intermediate beds, but there will no longer be an intensive care unit.

In a press release, the MUHC announces its decision to confirm the mission of the community hospital of the Lachine facility. The conclusion is said to have been reached after hearing “many stakeholders” and the Ministry of Health.

“Therefore, the Lachine emergency will gradually reopen over the next few months to finally be able to receive outpatients and ambulances 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” reads the MUHC statement.

For several months, the emergency room has only accepted patients who present on their own between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Ambulances called to the area are being diverted to other Montreal hospitals.

In order to coordinate activities within the facility, it is announced that a manager will be appointed and deployed on site. It adds that a committee will be set up to organize the resumption of emergency activities.

In terms of the number of beds, around 20 beds will be added to the current 36 hospital beds within 12 to 18 months. However, it warns that this will only be possible if enough nurses and GPs are recruited.

However, the MUHC does not intend to open an intensive care unit in Lachine. It is estimated that due to its location “a few kilometers from other hospitals offering these services”, there is a preference to continue transferring patients who require a higher level of care.

Through this new mission entrusted to Lachine Hospital, we want to restart the facility, says the MUHC. The modernization project, estimated at US$220 million, is proceeding as planned.

On Tuesday, a delegation of elected officials and citizens went to the National Assembly to demand Minister Christian Dubé’s intervention in this file. The mayor of the Lachine district, Maja Vodanovic, described the hospital as a role model for the minister’s vision, which speaks of “more humane, more efficient and more humane care”.

During Question Time on Tuesday, Christian Dubé said he trusted local managers to find a solution “and to respect the essential role of Lachine Hospital”.

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