Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital: All surgeries cancelled today due to severe thunderstorms; employees protest

Planned surgeries in the operating room at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital had to be canceled Wednesday following strong winds and violent thunderstorms that caused a major power outage at the facility the day before. Several employees decided to protest the dilapidated condition of the facility.

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Thirty surgeries will be postponed to a later date, confirmed by email Thaïs Dubé, director of communications for the CIUSSS de l'Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal.

A patient requiring emergency surgery was transferred to the team at Santa Cabrini Hospital. However, three other surgeries planned at Santa Cabrini Hospital had to be postponed, she said.

"Yesterday's power outage highlighted instability issues in the generator-based switching system that provides power to certain emergency sectors," said Ms. Dubé. "These issues were not detected during weekly inspections. They can only be detected during simulations that are conducted regularly. The last simulation did not identify this instability issue."

The communications department assured that "everything is currently being done to restore the situation and allow the resumption of all our activities in complete safety."

On Tuesday evening, severe weather caused a major power outage at the hospital. The situation worsened when its generator failed.

Windows also shattered due to strong winds and a nurse was even injured.

Operations can resume

Technical teams finally completed several projects mid-afternoon on Wednesday, informed the Media Relations Office of the CIUSSS de l'Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal.

"We are now able to resume activities in the operating room safely since we are confident that we will be able to supply electricity to the operating room under all circumstances," it was stated.

The 30 surgeries scheduled for today will, however, remain cancelled.

"However, we will be able to treat urgent cases and hospitalized patients immediately. The ambulance diversion was lifted at 2:00 p.m.," added a spokesperson for the CIUSSS de l'Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal.

Angry employees demonstrate

The vast majority of the operating room and intensive care staff at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital decided to demonstrate on Wednesday afternoon after the storm, which once again demonstrated the precarious state of the facility.

"It's an emergency since operating rooms have been cancelled," explained Dr. Marc Brosseau, pulmonologist and intensivist at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, in an interview on LCN.

"We can't risk starting surgery if we don't have a plan B in case of a power outage," he continued. "And since last night, generators haven't been working, and there's no backup."

Patients could have even lost their lives if the power outage had occurred while they were on the operating table. Fortunately, the power outage occurred between two active surgeries, the doctor said.

"It's not normal for a storm to knock out a hospital," denounced Dr. Brosseau. "I hope [Minister Dubé] is aware of this. This is not alarmism."

However, we wanted to reassure the population by stating that it is still safe to receive treatment at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, today or in the coming days.

"The proof is that we made the right decision for patient safety," assured Dr. Madeleine Poirier, general surgeon. "There is no danger. We want to put pressure on the facilities to follow us and ensure we are able to continue providing this care."

"It's a minefield."

The president of the Interprofessional Health Federation of Quebec (FIQ), Julie Bouchard, also denounced this unacceptable situation.

"It is a miracle that no patient was seriously injured or lost their life that night," she wrote in a statement obtained by TVA Nouvelles.

Ms. Bouchard also pointed to the building's dilapidated condition, not the weather, as the main source of the problem.

"This is not a hospital, it's a minefield," she pleaded.

"The government must immediately provide a clear, binding, and public timeline for the complete renovation of Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital. It must stop subjecting staff to avoidable risks. It must invest without delay in a dignified environment for those who save lives," said the president of the FIQ.

Quebec promises a solution

Health Minister Christian Dubé said he didn't need an event like Tuesday evening to understand the urgency of the situation.

Mr. Dubé nevertheless assured that everything was being done to resolve the problems at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital.

"I can only tell you that there are people working to find a solution," he said in a press briefing on Wednesday.

Discussions are also underway with the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Foundation and Santé Québec to find funding for renovations to the establishment.