(Quebec) While the wait for surgery is still peaking, a dozen surgeons are ready to operate on around thirty patients a day in a brand new private clinic. The catch? The owners have been waiting for the green light from Quebec for a year and a half.
“We have been waiting for our license for 18 months, I feel very sad and frustrated. We can’t help the system, we can’t do anything,” laments Dr. Ali Izadpanah. He and his brother, Arash Izadpanah, founded the Westmount Surgical Institute, a specialty surgery center, in 2021.
Construction was completed in March 2022. Covering 22,000 square feet, the clinic has six operating rooms and 13 recovery rooms. Twenty nurses and eight respiratory therapists, all from the private sector, have even already been hired.
“We are completely ready [to undertake our activities]”, assure the two plastic surgeons, also active in the public network, at the Center hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) and at the CIUSSS des Laurentides.
These are also four of the five specialties where the number of patients waiting for an operation is the highest, according to the dashboard of the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS). The clinic would also offer breast reconstruction and various laser treatments.
• Orthopedic surgery: 38,862, of which 6,318 for more than a year • Ophthalmology: 32,692 • General surgery: 31,716 • ENT: 20,569 • Urology: 10,467
However, after multiple back and forth with the MSSS, which grants the license to operate a specialized medical center (CMS), the two surgeons learned in January that their request was in the process of being refused.
“We advise you that the Minister intends to refuse your request for a permit for the operation of a CMS since the public interest does not justify it”, writes Deputy Minister Dominique Savoie in a missive, which invites them to present their observations before the final decision is taken.
Radio-Canada reported on Monday the case of two physician entrepreneurs, who received a similar notice after investing to develop two operating theaters in Mount Royal.
Faced with the glaring needs, Minister Christian Dubé recently asked the MSSS “to re-analyze the clinics for which a notice of refusal has been sent in order to verify how these projects could help us catch up on pending surgeries”, indicated his office, Monday.
“We have been clear, we want to see the waiting lists move,” a statement read. “CMSs are part of the solution. We want to use them more and perpetuate our agreements with them to continue to benefit Quebecers,” adds the firm.
“Licensing needs to be done faster, especially for clinics that specialize in the most needed surgeries. If CMS meet the criteria and are ready to contribute, we want to work with them, “says Mr. Dubé’s office.
A surgery center project in Saint-Jérôme also made headlines in February, when construction work had to be suspended due to permit delivery delays. In this case, Minister Dubé intervened and the permit was finally granted.
The Izadpanah brothers find it hard to understand the slowness of the permitting process. Moreover, after contesting January’s intention to refuse, the co-owners still have no idea when a decision in their file will be formalized.
In Mr. Dubé’s office, it is indicated that the review process could be completed within the “coming weeks”.
With a capacity of about 30 operations per day, Drs. Izadpanah’s clinic could reduce waiting lists by nearly 6,000 cases per year, they estimate. “The goal of the project is to help the [public] system,” says Dr. Ali Izadpanah.
The entire team of surgeons at the clinic is also committed to continuing to work in the public sector, it was indicated.
“Whether it’s private clinics that are public, that is to say where the patient does not pay, or in hospitals, we will always be in favor of increasing access, especially in surgery with the current lists” , commented the director of professional affairs, Dr. Rafik Ghali.
Unable to regain control since the pandemic, the Minister of Health showed signs of impatience in February1. In the House, he said he expected to receive a “specific plan” from the FMSQ.
“I have already said: I cannot operate for them. I would like to do it, but I don’t have that skill, “said Christian Dubé. Words that were rather poorly received by medical specialists.
The Federation had retorted that the surgeons “are extremely mobilized”, but that operating theaters in Greater Montreal are operating on average at 70% of their capacity due to the shortage of personnel.
