Quebec's Cardiac Surgery Crisis: Short-Staffed & Struggling

0:00It's April 2nd. This is Canada News Today, powered by AI. The Cardiac Surgery Program and Montreal's Jewish General Hospital is on the brink of shutting down as early as next January. They've got just three perfusionists running those critical heart-mung machines for bypasses when they need seven. That's left them operating 20-40% below capacity, with wait times stretching out over the last three years. Two of those perfusionists are set to retire soon, and with no recruits in sight, the whole program could collapse. This is a province-wide crisis in Quebec, where hospitals everywhere are short-staffed, and training programs have stalled amid wage disputes. Doctors are heartbroken, confirming patients have died waiting at home, despite over-time efforts, and a new nurse coordinator hired through donations. Across Quebec, heart surgery wait lists have led to deaths like five last year at Montreal's Cardiology Institute, and officials are calling out the health authority for downplaying the toll.

1:00Blaine's falling heavy on Santec Quebec, the province's health manager, for rigid pay rules that cap perfusionists at $56 an hour 15. Bucks less than before. Grads are bolting to other provinces, or the U.S., for $65 to $85 an hour, leaving only $65 perfusionists province-wide, down from 70. Santec Quebec says they've formed a committee to boost training spots, promote the job, and tweak work rules for better retention. Still, surgeons like the program's head are stuck delivering cancellations, watching patients feel totally abandoned by the system.