Lachine hospital losing 20 per cent of beds

A doctor at the Lachine hospital is raising concern about the potential impact on patients after learning the hospital will be losing 20 percent of its beds in coming days.

Dr. Paul Saba said he and the rest of the staff at the Saint-Joseph Hospital in Lachine received the news on Monday.

An office memo informed hospital staff that ten long-term care beds would disappear.

Saba is saying the loss of the beds will create a backlog in patient care.

"Patients are forced to stay in the emergency room. We have no capacity to take new patients and we actually had to stop the ambulances from coming," he said.

According to Saba, the government has not contributed funding for the beds for several years and now the hospital can no longer afford to foot the bill.

The Lachine hospital is part of the McGill University Health Centre.

A report commisioned by Quebec's Health Minister, Réjean Hébert, revealed in December that the MUHC has been downplaying its financial difficulties. The report showed MUHC's deficit for 2012-13 could hit $115 million.

Two of the 10 beds set to be cut have already been emptied, with more to follow in the next few weeks.