The PQ government is confirming that plans to build a new hospital in the Vaudreuil-Dorion region are on hold.

And that's raised concerns among residents and elected officials in the area.

Faced with a 12-hour wait at the Valleyfield hospital last year, Kimberley Rutkowski brought her fever-ridden young son to an Alexandria, Ontario hospital, her one-and-a-half year old seen and treated in about an hour. She said she'd do it all over again, as much as she'd like to go to the Montreal Children's Hospital downtown.

"It's almost an hour for me and it's always packed so in the future really, Hawkesbury is our first option," Rutkowski told CJAD News.

And that may be the case for awhile, now that PQ Health Minister Rejean Hébert has said plans for a new hospital are on ice.

"Given the budget we have for infrastructure, we will look at the priorities," Hébert said at a news conference in Laval yesterday.

Local elected officials are lobbying the PQ government to press on with the hospital project, saying it's essential for the population of 150,000 and counting.

Rutkowski said the PQ's stance on the hospital isn't surprising but is disappointing.

"It's concerning and pathetic that I even have to consider driving to another province because I believe I'm going to get better healthcare, where I pay taxes here and every year they increase."