Dr. Avinder Minhas has practised medicine in Richmond for 25 years and, for 22 of them, he has helped people with severe sleep disorders at Richmond Hospital's sleep laboratory.
That could all come to an end as a result of a pending decision from the hospital's administration to close the lab and move it to UBC Hospital. It's a decision that Minhas, who is the head of the department, was not consulted on.
"That's not the way to do things. It's immature and a silly way of doing things," said Minhas of the "secretive" process, which he says began a year ago when administrators told UBC physicians not to speak about the move.
Minhas said Richmond staff unanimously rejected the planned move at their last quarterly meeting.
According to Vancouver Coastal Health, a feasibility study will be released in the spring. The study explores the possibility of merging the sleep lab with the UBC Sleep Disorder Program to create efficiencies.
"No firm decision has been made," said VCH spokesperson Viola Kaminski.
Frustrated by the process, Minhas wrote a letter to city councillors last week, describing the importance of the lab, which was created in 1991 from donations by Richmond residents. Councillors have requested a meeting with VCH.
"It's a really important service for not only Richmond residents, but for those around the Lower Mainland. It's been here for 22 years and thousands have gone through it. We help diagnose different sleep disorders including sleep apnea, which is a dangerous condition," Minhas told the News.
In his letter, Minhas also took aim at administrators.
"It is also an unfortunate reality that over the last many years, the top administrators of this hospital seemingly have had no real vested interest in the betterment of the hospital. They seem to take jobs in this hospital with a goal to find another position downtown," wrote Minhas.
Over the course of his career, Minhas noted hard work has been done to make Richmond Hospital a fullcare facility. In the late 1980s, he described it as a "cottage hospital" incapable of giving patients more than basic care.
Today, however, about six patients a day - or 2,100 annually - use the lab to diagnose sleep problems.
The lab takes up two rooms in the hospital, which Minhas said have been targeted to
provide eight acute care beds.
While he recognizes the need for more beds, Minhas said the sleep lab is losing its spot for office space.
"Offices are important, but clinical services are far more important," said Minhas, noting many offices are empty for the most part and used intermittently.
"These services should be expanded, not decreased," said Minhas, adding that the lab only requires 1,200 square feet.
Diagnosing sleep problems helps keep patients healthy and is an important preventative measure for patients at risk of problems such as heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, depression, diabetes and sexual dysfunction, just to name a few.
Minhas said Richmond's growing and aging population is more than enough to keep the lab operating. Losing it would set a bad precedent for care at the hospital.
"We do not want to become a cottage hospital again," wrote Minhas.
Adding to the sleep lab's importance is its direct link to other programs, namely the bariatric unit that sees patients with severe sleeping problems try to lose weight.
"Forcing the Richmond citizens to go to UBC Hospital will pose great hardship for most of these patients," wrote Minhas.
Adding more bewilderment for Minhas is his claim the sleep lab is selfsufficient and actually brings in "very significant amounts of much-needed revenue" for the hospital through technical fees paid out by the health authority.
