CALEB NICKERSON
SHAWVILLE
April 12-15, 2019
Over the weekend, there was a service interruption in the obstetrics and general surgery departments at the Pontiac Community Hospital.
There was no surgeon on duty from 8 a.m. on Saturday April 13 to 8 a.m. on Monday April 15 and no obstetrician on duty from 8 a.m. Friday April 12 to 8 a.m. on Monday. Surgeons from Gatineau and Hull worked together to monitor the conditions of patients.
Specialist operations such as orthopaedics or endoscopy weren’t interrupted.
According to a press release from CISSSO, trauma calls during that time were to be directed to the nearest trauma centre, while pregnant women were diverted to either Gatineau Hospital or Pembroke Hospital.
There was a similar service interruption back on March 3, when there was no general surgeon on duty from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
According to CISSSO spokesperson Patricia Rhéaume, the most recent interruptions were due to illnesses and were considered abnormal.
On April 13, citizen activist group Pontiac Voice published a press release expressing their concern and calling on Pontiac MNA André Fortin to defend local healthcare.
Fortin addressed the interruptions in an unrelated interview with The Equity on April 15, and called on Health Minister Danielle McCann to “take a leadership position” and negotiate with the provincial federation of medical specialists and the association of surgeons.
“She has all the tools to do it but she has to come to an agreement with the federation of specialist doctors in the province and the association of surgeons in the province,” he said. “We’re lucky in the Pontiac to have great surgeons, great general surgeons, but there will necessarily come a time when they’re not there and they need a replacement.”
