Urgent surgeries diverted from Montreal’s Fleury Hospital amid shortage of respiratory therapists

A severe shortage of respiratory therapists has forced Fleury Hospital in Montreal’s St-Michel to shut down its operating room during evening hours for the past two weeks, redirecting all urgent surgeries to nearby facilities.

This was first reported by La Presse. The Montreal facility had to draw up a plan to send urgent surgical cases to Jean-Talon or Sacré-Coeur hospitals — although no patients have been transferred so far.

The CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal says only half of the about 17 respiratory therapy positions are currently filled at Fleury Hospital.

A spokesperson from the regional health authority says: “We want to reassure the public that a rigorous plan has been implemented, and our priority remains to ensure safe, accessible, and quality care for our community.”

The ORs at Fleury Hospital are still operational, the statement says, and they emphasize that it’s just a reduction in the number of active operating rooms. An on-call team is available to respond to urgent cases.

“Respiratory therapists working on the inpatient units are also providing assistance in the operating room, and overtime is being offered to available staff. We are also working with our network partners to secure support from other institutions,” the statement continued.

This disruption comes on top of an ongoing shortage of orthopedic surgeons in the region, putting additional pressure on Montreal’s already strained healthcare system.

Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé’s office told CityNews in a statement: “Our government has set up Santé Québec to improve the efficiency of the health network’s operations. Already, more hospitals are sharing best practices, which make it possible to cancel fewer surgeries for patients. That said, it should be remembered that we are in negotiations with the federation of medical specialists and that to improve access to care for Quebecers, everyone has a role to play.”

The issue arises as the Quebec government debates Bill 106, which proposes tying part of doctors’ pay to their performance — a move that critics say could worsen staffing gaps in specialized care.