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Ï㽶ÊÓƵ and the MUHC today issued a statement responding to an article that appeared in La Presse about the cost of the MUHC and the CHUM redevelopment projects. Health and Social Services Minister Philippe Couillard told La Presse that the government was worried that there would be cost overruns.

"We will bring this project in on time and on budget," said Dr. Arthur T. Porter, Director General and CEO of the MUHC. "In our first tangible construction activity — the decontamination of the Glen Campus — we have come in ahead of schedule and under budget by 10 per cent."

McGill Principal and Vice-Chancellor Heather Munroe-Blum said McGill has a stellar track record in respecting budgets and pointed to three recent major construction projects at McGill worth more than $100 million that were completed on budget.

"Since the government's decision that the new MUHC would be built on two campuses — the Mountain and the Glen — we have been working on a clinical and research program as well as a design plan that can be appropriately and accurately costed," Porter said.

"Clinical complementarity is an important goal to improve the quality of care that we provide to patients," he said. "It will not, however, result in any reduction of the overall costs of the projects."

The areas the MUHC is exploring, where significant cost savings can be achieved, are the complementarity of non-clinical services and the locating of some primary and secondary activities in the MUHC network partnering with other RUIS institutions.

"The fact that we have two world-class universities and teaching hospital networks is a source of strength for Quebec and Montreal and our collective goal must be to build on these strengths in the service of patient care, research and teaching," Munroe-Blum said.

McGill is the number-one research university in Canada, bringing to Quebec more medical research funding than any other Quebec university. It is ranked among the top 25 universities in the world and together with the MUHC it is world renowned for excellence and high standards. Our contribution to Quebec is an essential one in terms of recruitment, achievement and reputation.

"This is what we do and this is what we intend to keep on doing," she said.

INFORMATION:

McGill: Jennifer Robinson, 514-398-6747
MUHC: Sheila Moore, 514-934-1934 ext. 36418

About the Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Health Centre (MUHC)

The MUHC is a comprehensive academic health institution with an international reputation for excellence in clinical programs, research and teaching. The MUHC is a merger of five teaching hospitals affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ — the Montreal Children's, Montreal General, Royal Victoria, and Montreal Neurological Hospitals, as well as the Montreal Chest Institute. Building on the tradition of medical leadership of the founding hospitals, the goal of the MUHC is to provide patient care based on the most advanced knowledge in the health care field, and to contribute to the development of new knowledge.

About Ï㽶ÊÓƵ

Ï㽶ÊÓƵ is Canada's leading research-intensive university and has earned an international reputation for scholarly achievement and scientific discovery. Founded in 1821, McGill has 21 faculties and professional schools, which offer more than 300 programs from the undergraduate to the doctoral level. McGill attracts renowned professors and researchers from around the world and top students from more than 150 countries, creating one of the most dynamic and diverse education environments in North America. There are approximately 23,000 undergraduate students and 7,000 graduate students. It is one of two Canadian members of the American Association of Universities. McGill's two campuses are located in Montreal, Canada.