TO DOCTORS ‘EQUAL’ HOSPITALS MEANS 54 ACUTE CARE BEDS AT SMMH AND 62 AT HDMH; TALKS CONTINUE MAY 8
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
MUSKOKA — South Muskoka doctors are all calling for “at least 54” acute care beds in south Muskoka and 62 in Huntsville, which could bring local hospitals closer to the “equal” status many call for.
“Gains” “headway” and “negotiated” improvements are fine, but MAHC’s 40 per cent cut in beds in south Muskoka will “certainly render the future South Muskoka Memorial Hospital under-resourced and under-equipped to meet the needs of its communities in 10 years,” says Dr. Rohit Gupta.
In response to Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare’s offer to double the number of beds at SMMH to 36 beds from 18, Gupta claims: “The current proposal continues to put the future South Muskoka Memorial Hospital in a position in which it won’t be able to provide adequate acute care services for the population of South Muskoka. Patients from the South Muskoka community will still need to be transferred to Huntsville for acute medical care services.”
In a Facebook posting Thursday on behalf of south Muskoka physicians opposed to the recent altered ‘Made in Muskoka’ plan, he said on behalf of physicians that the “proposal is still reducing the number of our current acute beds from 59 down to 36, which is an approximate decrease of 40 per cent.”
The ups and downs of hospital-bed negotiations continues with back and forth call and responses by the two groups with the full support of the communities — mostly in the catchments area’s south.
The beds issue is only a fraction of services proposed to be shifted and shared between hospials.
MAHC’s original gambit was for 139 acute care beds in Huntsville and 14 in south Muskoka.
Gupta’s rebuttal was issued not as a press release, but on social media that has limited public access.
Gupta started out saying: “We would like to express our deepest gratitude and sincere appreciation to all who have supported our cause of fighting to maintain medical services in South Muskoka. We want to especially thank those who braved poor weather to attend public meetings, those who streamed those meetings, the allied health professionals: particularly the nurses, the South Muskoka Hospital Auxiliary, the ONA President, Opseu 397 representing the Paramedics, the Save South Muskoka Hospital Group, Dan Waters for managing the petition (of 7,000+ signatures) that was presented to Queen’s Park, our elected officials, and the many other organizations that made sure our community voice was heard.”
He said: “We have made some headway in that the Capital Redevelopment Team of MAHC has agreed to, having 36 acute care beds in Bracebridge, an increase from the original 18 beds. We have also negotiated with the Capital Redevelopment Team of MAHC to designate one bed for obstetrical services, which is included in the 36 acute care beds.”
Obstetrics is an essential service in south Muskoka and “we are pleased” MAHC’s redevelopment committee agrees.
“Clearly, the efforts from the South Muskoka community, the allied health professionals, and the physicians of south Muskoka have been instrumental in making these important changes.”
But for the doctors, the acute care bed cuts include a reduction of ICU beds to 4 from 5 and obstetrics beds to 1 from.
By comparison, the Huntsville District Memorial Hospital would as of late increase to 82 beds from the current 46 — a 78 per cent increase in acute care beds. That includes an increase of ICU beds to 10 from 6 and keeping 2 obstetrics beds.
Gupta claims MAHC’s current proposal “continues to put the future South Muskoka Memorial Hospital in a position in which it won’t be able to provide adequate acute care services for the population of South Muskoka. Patients from the South Muskoka community will still need to be transferred to Huntsville for acute medical care services.”
He says according to recent snapshot data from MAHC over the past month, SMMH would require at least 45 acute care beds to provide adequate acute medical care for the needs of south Muskokans today.
To him 36 acute care beds are well under the 45 that would currently be needed to “adequately” provide acute services to its communities.
“It will certainly render the future South Muskoka Memorial Hospital under-resourced and under-equipped to meet the needs of its communities in 10 years.”
POPULATIONS GROWTH
Gupta’s rebuttal relies heavily on statistics from 2021/2022 Simcoe Muskoka Health Unit data and a District of Muskoka ‘Second Home Study’ in 2023.
They say the respective populations of Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, and Muskoka Lakes were 24,880, 24,687 and 35,113 (including seasonal residents). And that they grew by 6.9 per cent, 8.1 per cent and 16.2 per cent.
By those calculations this equates to a total population of 84,680 as of 2024.
And assuming consistent growth rates, the populations of Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, and Muskoka Lakes in 10 years will be 48,487, 48,111 and 157,590.
Extrapolated the total population of south Muskoka would be more 250,000 in 2032.
By contrast, he says, the populations of Huntsville and Lake of Bays was according to the study 27,307 and 16,307 (including seasonal residents) and grew by 6.7 and 18.7 per cent.
That’s a total population of 43,614 today. Assuming consistent growth rates, the populations of Huntsville and Lake of Bays decade out will be 52,229 and 90,548.
Two years after the hospitals are to open in 2032 their populations would be slightly under 150,000 in 2032.
“We recognize part of the population of Almaguin — a total population of 23,929 in 2016 — relies on Huntsville District Memorial Hospital for acute medical care, adds Gupta. “However, many communities in Almaguin instead access West Parry Sound Health Centre and North Bay Regional Health Centre primarily for acute medical care.
“Even if the entire population of Almaguin is added to the population of Huntsville and Lake of Bays, the total population of these three communities is still around 15,000 people less than that of South Muskoka in 2024.”
In summation, he says the current population of South Muskoka is almost twice that of Huntsville and Lake of Bays; and the projected population of south Muskoka in 10 years will be around 1.6 times the projected population of Huntsville and Lake of Bays in 2034.
“Yet, the plans for the future South Muskoka Memorial Hospital will have a reduction in the acute beds by 40 per cent and that of Huntsville District Memorial Hospital will have an increase in the acute beds by 78 per cent.
“For these reasons, the medical doctors of south Muskoka are advocating for further changes to the current proposed Capital Redevelopment and hoping the Capital Redevelopment Team of MAHC will agree to increase the number of planned acute care beds at South Muskoka Memorial Hospital to at least 54.
“This will still provide the Huntsville District Memorial Hospital with 62 acute care beds, which will provide a more even distribution of acute care beds between the two sites, despite the community of South Muskoka being far larger than that of Huntsville and area.”
Gupta says MAHC will be holding a “final third” meeting with the medical doctors who work with Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare on May 8, to finalize discussions regarding requests for changes.
“We look forward to sharing the outcomes of these discussions and decisions with the South Muskoka community after this meeting. Many thanks again to all those who have supported us in our efforts.
SSMH ‘EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED’
Meanwhile, the grassroots Save South Muskoka Hospital group is “extremely disappointed” in MAHC’s transparency in its bid for full disclosure.
A press release response Friday by the eager local citizen opposition group’s chair Bruce C. Kruger, said: “Save South Muskoka Hospital Committee is extremely disappointed with the comments made by MAHC regarding their alleged openness, yet they fail to disclose any financial information of importance. Physicians cannot negotiate in good faith when the Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare Board refuses to provide essential costings.”
He says MAHC’s “excuse that it will affect bidding for future contracts is without foundation ten years into the future. Even our elected officials are kept in the dark resulting, unfortunately, in little comment from our councils. MAHC is spending one billion dollars from taxpayers’ coffers and yet, only their board members are privileged to know expenditures within “our” healthcare system. This is outrageous, and… very wrong.”
According to SMMH their requests haven’t led to the release of financial matters on design, construction costs, land acquisitions, and ground preparation costs, transportation evaluations.
Nor has MAHC, according to Kruger, addressed how they will provide expenses for two hundred additional nursing staff when they are apparently fifty nurses currently short.
“It is absolutely unacceptable for MAHC to say: ‘Trust Us’ — while refusing to produce any financial documentation so citizens may make informed decisions. This should not be a give-away to build a Huntsville regional hospital. We demand answers.”
The release says Save South Muskoka Hospital s anxiously awaiting the next round of discussions that the physicians will have in early May.
“Subject to the outcome of those deliberations, should MAHC entertain any early submission of their recommendations to the Ministry of Health, they will be shown the full disdain of our citizens in peaceful protest.”
Their release goes on to say MAHC’s claim of transparency doesn’t fly “when our seasonal citizens have not an opportunity to raise their own voices due to the off-season timeframe that Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare chose to host their public meetings. All citizens deserve to be heard, including our summer cottagers, and snowbirds, in addition to our permanent residents.
“When will MAHC host “Public Chats’ with these segments?”
Kruger says citizens are strongly urged to continue protesting with signs, writing government personnel at all levels and additionally, voice your opinions directly to the Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare at Board of Directors at: 705-769-2311, 705-645-4404 or by email to info@mahc.ca.
Follow Save South Muskoka Hospital Committee at: ssmh.ca. or email: ssmh@ssmh.ca
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