Lakeshore General Hospital in Pointe-Claire will no longer house its outpatient physiotherapy clinic on-site. Mr. Dan Éric Gabay, President and CEO of the CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, has decided to relocate this service to Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, 15 kilometres away from the hospital.

The outpatient physiotherapy clinic has been in operation since the hospital opened in 1965. Currently, the physiotherapy service relies on a single physiotherapist who treats eight to 10 patients per day. The move will not result in an increase in physiotherapy staff, and patients will continue to face waits of over a month to receive treatment.

This means that patients in the West Island requiring physiotherapy will have to travel all the way to Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue. This poses an additional challenge, as many patients rely on public transit.

One wonders if this is a requirement imposed by the current CAQ government and if it reflects the wishes of Minister Christine Fréchette. It is certainly curious to hear this news during an election period, especially given that the government has consistently refused to cut healthcare services.

Luc Legault, Pierrefonds