hospital

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

MARIA – A petition launched on February 12 on the National Assembly website is once again demanding the reconstruction of the emergency and intensive care units at the Maria hospital. 

Elected officials are adopting resolutions to urge the Quebec government to move forward once and for all on this issue. 

The wording of the petition states that in 2012, a clinical and real estate master plan had noted the major functional deficiencies in the facilities, particularly those of the emergency and intensive care units, and that the Gaspésie Integrated Health and Social Services Centre had prioritized the construction of the emergency and intensive care units at the Maria hospital; that the dilapidated state of the premises does not allow for the confidentiality of user files to be respected and that infection prevention is difficult and that the prefects of Avignon and Bonaventure recognize the importance and urgency of carrying out this construction project. 

The conclusion of the electronic document asks the Government of Quebec to register, on the Quebec Infrastructure Plan 2025-2035, the construction of the emergency and intensive care unit at the Maria hospital. 

The municipality of Maria adopted a resolution on February 10 in support of the petition. 

“We are hopeful that this is the right one. The premier confirmed to us in November 2023 that it would be registered and it was not done. We are hopeful that this time, it will be done,” says Maria mayor, Jean-Claude Landry. 

On February 12, the MRCs of Avignon and Bonaventure added their support by each adopting a resolution in favour of the project. 

“The MRC adopted a resolution in support to invite the population to sign the petition. It is a major infrastructure. It is a priority for the CISSS, a priority for the MRC d’Avignon,” mentions Prefect Mathieu Lapointe. 

“This is a file that we have been following for several years. The Premier, the Minister of Health, everyone is aware. We expected it to be included in the PQI last year. We were very disappointed as a region. We know that the government is in the budget process. It was obvious that we give our support and invite the population to sign to remind them of the importance for the Baie-des-Chaleurs to upgrade the infrastructure,” mentions his colleague from Bonaventure, Éric Dubé. 

The prefect is aware that Maria is in competition with other establishments “while things are cracking everywhere,” illustrates Mr. Dubé. 

According to him, it could cost between $150 million and $200 million to rebuild the emergency and intensive care units, a structure that could be recovered in the future if a new hospital were to be built. 

The current emergency department was inaugurated in 1972. 

This debate has been ongoing for quite some time, not only for this component, but to rebuild the entire hospital which has been in operation since 1952. 

The latest evaluations suggested that a renovation of the current hospital would cost $330 million and the work would be spread over 15 years. On the other hand, a new hospital centre would take half as long to build, but it is estimated at $390 million. 

In 2021, it was mentioned that the new hospital would have more beds in order to eventually repatriate patients from Avignon-Ouest who are treated in Campbellton, New Brunswick. Premier François Legault was informed of the situation during a visit to Carleton-sur-Mer in July 2021. 

In June 2018, the Gaspé Peninsula CISSS Board of Directors adopted a resolution for a new centre, an idea that dates back to before the entity was even created, at the time of the CSSS de la Baie-des-Chaleurs.