Hundreds of Sault patients protest Dr. Chander's termination

Hundreds of Sault Ste. Marie patients are pushing back after MyMichigan Health terminated Dr. Thilak Chander, a physician patients say they relied on for up to 30 years.

Patients flooded local social media after the termination, describing relationships with Chander spanning one, two and three decades, EUP News reported Saturday, Sept. 12. Several said they plan to follow him wherever he practices next. Chander holds a 4.8-out-of-5 rating across hundreds of verified patient reviews, where patients frequently cite his attentiveness and thorough approach to care.

MyMichigan Health has not publicly explained why it ended Chander's employment. Community members are calling on the Midland-based health system to detail the decision and outline plans for affected patients.

Those patients now face logistical hurdles.

They must find a new doctor, renew prescriptions, follow up on pending tests and transfer medical histories built over years.

A strained relationship

The backlash lands during a turbulent stretch for MyMichigan's presence in the eastern Upper Peninsula. The health system acquired the former War Memorial Hospital in 2022. Before the deal, War Memorial had faced operating losses, job cuts and wage reductions. The affiliation was pitched as a path to financial stability and continued local care.

Tensions surfaced in 2024, when roughly 120 nurses walked off the job for five days during contract talks over staffing, pay and working conditions. Union representatives said the hospital had drifted from its community roots. MyMichigan disputed parts of the union's claims. The two sides eventually reached a contract agreement after nurses authorized a second strike in June 2024, ABC 10/CW 5 reported at the time.

MyMichigan has also been steering the Sault facility toward Critical Access Hospital (CAH) status, a federal designation that improves Medicare reimbursement rates. The system announced the transition in August 2025. Board chair Mark Savoie said at the time that services including obstetrics, dialysis and behavioral health would remain, according to the Soo Evening News.

Meanwhile, a $22 million renovation broke ground at the Sault campus on Aug. 24. The project will upgrade the long-term care unit, expand outpatient surgery capacity and move the behavioral health unit from Kinross to the Sault campus, according to the Soo Leader. Kevin Kalchik, president of MyMichigan Medical Center Sault, said at the groundbreaking that the scale of the project "could not happen if we were not a part of MyMichigan."