MUHC head Normand Rinfret stepping down in September
Search for new executive director of McGill University Health Centre gets underway immediately
The largest hospital network in Quebec will be getting new leadership in the fall, following the controversial construction and problem-plagued opening of its flagship health centre in Montreal last year.
Normand Rinfret, the president and executive director of the McGill University Health Centre, has informed hospital staff that he won't be seeking a renewal of his mandate.
"This decision feels right for a number of reasons, not least of which is the fact that I believe well-timed leadership change is vital to the health of all organizations," Rinfret said in an internal memo obtained by CBC News.
Rinfret has held the top job at the hospital since Arthur Porter's abrupt resignation in 2011. Rinfret served directly underneath Porter, who was later charged with conspiring to accept to bribes.
Authorities suspected Porter sought to receive as much as $22.5 million in kickbacks from the $1.3 billion contract to build the MUHC's so-called superhospital.
Porter died in Panama in 2015 while trying to avoid extradition to Quebec.
Superhospital problems
When the superhospital finally opened last year, Rinfret had to oversee a number of problems with the giant facility.
Among the most pressing: raw sewage backup that flooded certain floors and spotty cell-phone coverage. Patients have also complained that many parts of the hospital are not accessible to people in wheelchairs.
"Like a family, we have experienced hope, satisfaction, joy and pride, as well as disappointment, frustration, bitterness and loss," Rinfret's memo said.
"There has been tremendous growth, but also setbacks and delays."
Rinfret said he informed the MUHC board of directors of his decision last week and planned to announce it publicly at the hospital's annual meeting on June 14.
The MUHC has already formed a search committee to find Rinfret's replacement. A list of names will be prepared by the board, which will then be handed over the Health Minister, who gets the final say.
Among the priorities facing Rinfret's successor will be the modernization of other hospitals in the MUHC network, such as the the Montreal General Hospital, the Lachine Hospital and the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital.
Rinfret also leaves the MUHC with a deficit of $40 million for 2015-2016, after the provincial government refused to review how the hospital network is funded.
Rinfret's term expires in September.
with files from Salimah Shivji