Muskoka physicians submit counter-proposal to controversial hospital redevelopment plan
Nearly one month after Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) released its controversial redevelopment plan, dozens of physicians have now submitted a counter-proposal that they say is more equitable.
MAHC's proposed plan would divide specific services between the Bracebridge and Huntsville facilities and significantly reduce inpatient beds at the Bracebridge site.
MAHC has indicated both hospitals would have intensive care units and surgical centres, but Bracebridge will have 14 inpatient beds while Huntsville will have 139.
Residents and health care workers, including physicians, have opposed the plan, saying dividing the services would limit health care access to many.
Counter Proposal
A new proposal, created and endorsed by 47 physicians and Gravenhurst's Cottage Country Family Health Team, aims to balance those numbers.
The Care Close to Home proposal would see 90 inpatient beds kept in Bracebridge and the remaining 50 put in Huntsville.
"There should be a more equitable amount of beds between the two sites," said Dr. Luke Wu, an MAHC physician who endorsed the counter-proposal. "But because the population is bigger here (south Muskoka) and we already have more medical surgical beds here already, that this should be the predominant inpatient site."
Obstetrical Care
Also, part of the physicians' proposal includes obstetrical care. Under MAHC's proposal, Huntsville would be the only facility to handle obstetrics. However, the physicians' proposal wants to keep child delivery in both facilities.
Dr. Wu said the physicians met with hospital officials Tuesday night, hoping to discuss their proposal.
"The meetings more focused on the pros and cons of MAHC's proposal exclusively," he added. "I think we're more or less at the same place as we were before."
MAHC Statement
In a statement to CTV News, MAHC said its Credentialed Staff Association acknowledged the proposal being circulated in the room, indicating it would be tabled for use during the evening working groups.
"We have not yet had the opportunity to thoroughly review and discuss this with the physician group," the statement reads. "We are looking forward to their formal submission to us, together with an opportunity to discuss the proposal as part of continued engagement with care providers to reach the best possible model of care for the future."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau's 2024: Did the PM become less popular this year?
Justin Trudeau’s numbers have been relatively steady this calendar year, but they've also been at their worst, according to tracking data from CTV News pollster Nik Nanos.
Manhunt underway after woman, 23, allegedly kidnapped, found alive in river
A woman in her 20s who was possibly abducted by her ex is in hospital after the car she was in plunged into the Richelieu River.
Death toll in attack on Christmas market in Germany rises to 5 and more than 200 injured
Germans on Saturday mourned both the victims and their shaken sense of security after a Saudi doctor intentionally drove into a Christmas market teeming with holiday shoppers, killing at least five people, including a small child, and wounding at least 200 others.
Overheated immigration system needed 'discipline' infusion: minister
An 'overheated' immigration system that admitted record numbers of newcomers to the country has harmed Canada's decades-old consensus on the benefits of immigration, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said, as he reflected on the changes in his department in a year-end interview.
Wild boar hybrid identified near Fort Macleod, Alta.
Acting on information, an investigation by the Municipal District of Willow Creek's Agricultural Services Board (ASB) found a small population of wild boar hybrids being farmed near Fort Macleod.
Summer McIntosh makes guest appearance in 'The Nutcracker'
Summer McIntosh made a splash during her guest appearance in The National Ballet of Canada’s production of 'The Nutcracker.'
The winter solstice is here, the Northern Hemisphere's darkest day
The winter solstice is Saturday, bringing the shortest day and longest night of the year to the Northern Hemisphere — ideal conditions for holiday lights and warm blankets.
22 people die in a crash between a passenger bus and a truck in Brazil
A crash between a passenger bus and a truck early Saturday killed 22 people on a highway in Minas Gerais, a state in southeastern Brazil, officials said.
Back on air: John Vennavally-Rao on reclaiming his career while living with cancer
'In February, there was a time when I thought my career as a TV reporter was over,' CTV News reporter and anchor John Vennavally-Rao writes.