Health Minister Gaétan Barrette has ordered the McGill University Health Centre to cancel the remainder of a $600,000 contract with a Montreal PR firm, saying it’s a waste of money given that the MUHC already has a public-relations department.
“If there was an image problem at McGill, it was a management problem, not about care,” he said. “The reputation of a hospital is not built on image, it’s built on quality of care.”
The hospital said it will comply with the minister’s directive.
The MUHC hired Jonathan Goldbloom and Associates to consult with the office of the CEO at the MUHC. The goal was to improve the image of the hospital in the wake of the Arthur Porter scandal.
The agency had no comment following the cancellation.
Agencies/Canadajournal