In the ICU at the Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), staff will tell you the care is top-notch, but the surroundings are subpar. “This space is decades old and we’re struggling, because we do still deliver amazing care, but we do it in such a tight, obsolete space that it’s getting harder and harder to do so,” said Dr. Justin Letourneau, a critical care physician at the Neuro. Even the negative pressure rooms, which are critical in ICU environments, are too small. Privacy for patients and family members is hard to come by. “We have curtains. This is an open layout of ICU, which is something that was done in the 1980s and 90s,” Dr. Letourneau said. “Now, the standard is to have closed ICU, where every patient, every room for each patient are quite large.” It’s not just the ICU that’s outdated. Hospital officials say the Neuro has a long list of problems, starting with its geographical location. The Neuro is downtown and isolated. “The isolation means that there’s no lab testing on site, no blood bank on site, no other specialists other than neurologists,” Dr. Lucie Opatrny, the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) President and CEO, said. The problems don’t stop there. When paramedics arrive, they share the same outdoor space as delivery trucks. “It’s like a game of rush hour,” said Maxime Boutin-Caron, associate director of the neuroscience program. “You have to make sure that all the trucks, the cars, ambulances fit. We make it work. It’s doable, but it’s a lot of logistics for something that should be streamlined and easy in 2026.” A portion of the Neuro’s new pharmacy is closed because of a water leak. “Despite numerous interventions, we can’t still find the source of the leak,” Boutin-Caron said. “So, it is still happening. A third of our new pharmacy cannot be used, has never been used just because of that water infiltration.” The MUHC has big plans to move the Neuro to the Glen site. The two-phase construction project would cost $1 billion. “The first phase is $250 to $300 million. That’s the hospital part of it,” Dr. Opatrny said. “Then the rest to bring it up to $1 billion is the ambulatory care as well as all the research laboratories, to bring it to completion.” In a statement, Santé Québec said, “discussions and analyses are currently underway regarding this matter.” Dr. Opatrny says the project is not part of Quebec’s infrastructure plan. “It’s really to see how to go from recognizing the need, to making it on that list, which is really critical,” Dr. Opatrny said. With all of Quebec’s health-care needs, staff say the Neuro’s care and treatment go far beyond Montreal. “It’s important for Montrealers because we are on the Island of Montreal,” Boutin-Caron said. “But more than 50 per cent of our patients, come from outside of the island.”
