Increasing urgency

Christopher C. Jacques

Posted on January 16, 2014

Vaudreuil-Soulanges Hospital

The construction of a hospital in Vaudreuil-Soulanges is urgent, according to the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Citizens' Committee. The spectacular occupancy rate of the Surooît Hospital proves it once again.

The overflow of the emergency room at the Surooît hospital proves the need to build a hospital center in Vaudreuil-Soulanges.

The committee highlights the difficulty for the Government of Quebec in delaying the announcement of the construction of a hospital in the region. Recall, the overflow of emergency services in Montérégie has been making headlines for some time now. Since the beginning of January, Hôpital du Surooît has been facing an occupancy rate of around 300%. This hospital center is frequented by a high number of Vaudreuil-Soulangeois.On the other hand, the Quebec Interprofessional Health Federation is calling on the government authorities to see them correct the situation.

For the Committee, it would be disappointing to see these authorities put in place short-term solutions without the adoption of a long-term vision. The region has more than 143,000 inhabitants, and its population growth is among the fastest in Quebec. The increase in customers will only worsen the problem, the committee recalls.

“It would be difficult for a government to deny the urgency of providing the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region with a hospital, when confronted with overflow data from the Hôpital du Surooît,” said Denis Lapointe, spokesperson for the Citizens' Committee.

He continues: “At the beginning of 2014, we are waiting to hear whether the Government of Quebec will recognize the situation, adopt a long-term vision and act to meet this pressing need.”

Objective 2018

The year 2018 still remains plausible for the committee in terms of the delivery of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Regional Hospital. “We raised the possibility of buying the construction plans for the Le Gardeur hospital. With these plans, to which one or two changes would have to be made, the project would accelerate by more or less two years,” explains the spokesperson.

According to information from Denis Lapointe, Quebec Health Minister, Dr. Réjean Hébert, is planning some announcements for Montérégie. Vaudreuil-Soulangeois would receive a ministerial update very soon.

Organizations: Surooît Hospital, Interprofessional Federation, Citizens' Committee

Geographical locations: Quebec, Vaudreuil-Soulanges Hospital, Montérégie Le Gardeur Hospital

Tags: Hospital in Vaudreuil-Soulanges, Increasing urgency.