Jacques Turgeon, head of CHUM, resigns
Health minister cites tension born out of merger of three different hospital cultures
The man who was supposed to oversee the opening of the new French-language superhospital has resigned, Health Minister Gaétan Barrette said Thursday.
Jacques Turgeon officially took over as chief executive officer of the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) in June 2014.
Turgeon, a PhD in Pharmacology who has held various positions at the Université de Montréal, was expected to serve a four-year term.
Barrette said Turgeon's resignation was a "surprise," but insisted the development wouldn't lead to delays in the project.
He cited political in-fighting born out of the merger of three different hospital cultures.
The CHUM is due to open next year.
Barrette said he expects calm to prevail and for the new hospital to be free of inside battles.