FIQ strike | A thousand operations postponed

(Quebec) The strike of some 80,000 union members of the FIQ, the largest nurses’ union, will cause the postponement of a thousand non-urgent operations, affirms Christian Dubé. The Minister of Health highlights the contribution of private clinics for these “difficult days”.

The two days of walkouts carried out on Wednesday and Thursday by union members of the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec have repercussions on the health network. Operating theaters will operate at 70% of their capacity, a rate approved by the Administrative Labor Court which determined several weeks ago the essential services to be maintained in the event of a strike in the health sector.

“I calculated that over two to three days, we will lose around 1000 operations. It’s a lot because we do around 1000 operations per day. So, if I tell you that we are missing 30% of our capacity, that means that we are delaying 300 to 400 operations per day,” Mr. Dubé explained on Wednesday. These are elective operations, as reported The Press Tuesday.

“These are still operations that people have been waiting for sometimes for six months, a year,” recalled the Minister of Health. For the moment, efforts are being made to make up for the delays caused by the pandemic in surgery. The network first tackles pending operations of more than a year, so the number of pending operations continues to increase.

• Number of pending operations in Quebec: 163,620
• Number of operations pending for a year: 13,931

According to the minister, these walkout days come “at a very bad time”, while fall is usually a good time to increase the pace after the vacation period. Christian Dubé does not currently fear a cascade effect which would have repercussions over several weeks.

He told Quebecers “to encourage each other” and that “it’s two, three difficult days to get through.” A first day of walkout took place last Monday by union members of the common union front. The effects were limited in the health network since the FIQ is not part of it.

The FIQ also confirmed on Wednesday that its members will be on strike again on November 23 and 24 if no agreement is reached with Quebec. Public sector collective agreements expired on March 31.

“There is a right for union members to strike and I think we must respect that. Now, our job as government is to ensure with the union that essential services will be offered,” added Mr. Dubé. The Ministry of Health and Social Services has also set up a “coordination cell” to ensure “the smooth running of operations”.

Emergency rooms and intensive care will not be affected by the walkout, and will operate at 100% capacity.

Effects in the network

At the CHU de Québec-Université Laval, the strike will force the postponement of “more than a hundred elective operations” since 10 rooms out of 48 will be closed Wednesday and Thursday. Prioritization of patients is done in the same way as during load shedding activities linked to the pandemic, it is indicated.

At the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, one room per operating room will be closed in each hospital. The rooms that will remain open will operate at 100%, writes the establishment.

Unusually, the Federation of Specialist Physicians of Quebec (FMSQ) has given its support to healthcare professionals who are preparing for the strike.

The University Institute of Cardiology and Pneumology of Quebec also confirms that the slowdown will not affect thoracic oncological operations. “Unless they have been previously notified of a postponement, all people must show up for their appointment or surgery at the agreed time,” it is emphasized.

At the MUHC, we emphasize that it is possible that the strike “results in a slowdown”, particularly for non-urgent operations. However, “all patients whose appointments could be postponed will be contacted,” we assure.