《大中报》调查：士嘉宝慈恩医院关闭儿科、产科真的与安省政府无关？

士嘉堡慈恩医院再次陷入危机。1月19日，该医院宣布了一项给该地区成千上万的居民造成重大影响的决定，那就是将该医院的妇科和儿科关闭。士嘉堡北区是许多贫困家庭和新移民的聚集地，其中有很多大陆移民。削减士嘉堡慈恩医院的服务给士嘉堡北区居民就医造成困难，一定程度上让这些居民感觉遭到“背叛”。

Scarborough Grace is in turmoil again. On Jan 19, it announced to close women and children care, a decision that will affect tens of thousands of residents in the area. Cutting the services at the Birchmount campus is a “betrayal” of North Scarborough, home to many of the region’s most impoverished families and recent immigrants – including many from the Chinese community.



相对独立的政府机构，被称为“地区综合医疗系统”的LHIN在士嘉堡医院的经管中起着举足轻重的作用。2013年，LHIN通过动议要求士嘉堡医院和胭脂谷医疗系统（Rouge Valley Health System）的Centenary分院合并。2016年，两院正式合并，组成士嘉堡联合医院。

The LHIN, an arms-length government agency has played a vital role in managing the hospital services. In 2013, it passed a motion directing the Scarborough Hospital to merge with the Centenary site of the Rouge Valley Health System. In 2016, the merger took place, which formed SHN.

对慈恩医院的关闭科室原因之猜测也是众说纷纭，但所有的说法都围绕着医院不断减少的资金来源。有些谣言甚至指责医院管理层盯上了慈恩医院院址的房地产价值。

Speculations about the reason for the closure abound, but all points to the tightening of the resource pool. Some rumors even target the real estate opportunities by the Birchmount site.



士嘉堡联合医院成立后，LHIN董事会批准了近200项措施，其中大部分旨在减少开支。然而，这些措施似乎对慈恩医院发展不利。遭到资金削减的慈恩医院自合并以来其医疗服务面临接连不断的挑战。慈恩医院的儿科医生Stephanie Kay表示： “我们这边尤其遭到多次资金削减，”但她补充说，关闭妇女和儿童科室还是让很多人大吃一惊。在慈恩医院服务长达19年之久的儿科医生Raymond Shu表示，该医院的妇科和儿科曾是慈恩医院的“重要科室。”但自从20年前与士嘉堡总医院合并以来就资金匮乏，得不到足够的运营拨款。

After its motion of merger, the LHIN board approved near 200 measures, with the majority aiming at reducing expenses. However, these measures seem hurting the Grace. The services at Birchmount has suffered repeated threats since the merger, due to the funding cut. “Our site, especially, has faced many cuts,” said Dr. Stephanie Kay, a pediatrician at Birchmount. However, she added that the closedown of women and children care shocked many people. Women’s and children’s services were a “flagship program” at Birchmount, but since a merger with the General two decades ago, it hasn’t had its fair share of resources, said Dr. Raymond Shu, a pediatrician at Birchmount for 19 years.

早在2013年，士嘉堡总院就批准关闭慈恩分院产科的决定，同时划分手术科室，即当天手术在慈恩医院进行，住院手术在士嘉堡医院进行。但是，LHIN却认为这一决定不可行，不利于为病人提供医疗服务。LHIN为此出面阻止，迫使士嘉堡医院放弃了这一决定。

In 2013, the Scarborough Hospital approved a consolidation closing the Birchmount birthing center, and a division of surgeries between its campuses so that that day surgery would be at Birchmount and in-patient surgery at the General. However, the Central East LHIN found it unworkable and could harm patient care. It intervened, forcing the plan to be aborted by the hospital.



在士嘉堡胭脂医院近期批准了关闭妇儿科室的决定后，慈恩医院的医护人员要求LHIN再次出面阻止。在今年2月27日LHIN的董事会上慈恩医院医护人员代表表示坚决反对联合总院的决定，表达了对这一决定之后果的深度忧虑。同时他们强调，如果得不到进一步拨款，维持妇科和儿科的服务是基本不可能的。

The medical staff from Scarborough Grace demanded LHIN to intervene again after SHN board-approved decision of closure. They attended the LHIN board meeting on Feb. 27, expressing their deepest concerns of the service cut and voicing their opposition to the shutdown. However, they stressed that maintaining the women and children program is almost impossible without the resources invested.

LHIN的媒体发言人Katie Cronin-Wood在给《大中报》的电邮中表示，LHIN非常欢迎医护代表参加其董事会，且会议通过动议，要求士嘉堡联合总院为士嘉堡北区居民提供妇科和儿科服务。

In an email to Chinese News, Katie Cronin-Wood, spokeswomen for the Central East LHIN said that the LHIN Board welcomed the delegations to the board meeting and it passed a motion directing SHN to engage the Women and Children Services for North Scarborough residents.



但这些指望LHIN能挽回大局的人们这次可能要失望了。有些人表示LHIN根本起不了什么作用，已失去了其2013年对下属医院所拥有的控制权。省政府近期公布的医疗改革计划宣布将彻底取消LHIN在医疗系统中的作用，并将其取代。Katie Cronin-Wood 在电邮中补充道：“虽然LHIN以将这一动议决定告知士嘉堡联合总院管理层，但这种最终的机构决定权还是在医院手中。”

However, those who have pinned their hope on the LHIN’s ability to rescue may get disappointed. Some say that the LHIN won’t matter anymore as it no longer enjoys the same level of authority as it did in 2013. The Ford government has recently announced a healthcare reform plan that will remove LHIN from the healthcare system altogether. “While the LHIN has advised SHN of this motion, please know that the board of SHN has the authority and accountability for these types of organizational decisions,” wrote Cronin-Wood in her email.

但士嘉堡爱静阁选区安省保守党议员白比勤和河谷北选区Don Valley North的柯文彬表示安省政府的医疗改革与医院关闭科室无关。微信上广为流传的两位议员的表白称：“关闭医院妇科和儿科的决定是医院管理层做出的，与安省政府医疗改革无关。”

However, PC MPP Aris Babikian of Scarborough Agincourt and Vincent Ke of Don Valley North believe that the hospital closure was not affected by the government’s reform. “The decision to close down women and children program was made by the hospital and the hospital alone. It has nothing to do with the Ford government’ healthcare reform,” according to their statement wildly circulated on WeChat.

但是，LHIN有名无实的动议决定却表明这两位议员之语根本站不住脚。

However, LHIN’s seemingly powerless motion over the closing has just shown that MPPs’ claim do not hold water.