Former Deputy Minister of Health Yvan Gendron affirms that health establishments had been warned in January 2020 to prepare for the arrival of a COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec. And that they had been told to prepare their CHSLDs for this eventuality.
Mr. Gendron testified Wednesday morning at the public inquiry of Coroner Géhane Kamel, which is examining the deaths that occurred in CHSLDs during the first wave of COVID-19.
He claimed that in a meeting with the CEOs of the health network at the end of January, it was mentioned to all CEOs of CISSS and CIUSSS to update their pandemic preparedness plan using the document that was conceived during the A H1N1 flu wave in 2009. “The establishments had to make their plans,” said Mr. Gendron.
For him, from the first meetings of the “network management committee” in January which brought together all the CEOs of health, it was clear that “the entire population, including that of the elderly, risked being affected. “. “So we will not wait for precise statistics to prepare,” he said. The message was to say: prepare yourself. On the whole of your service offer. Including of course, particularly, vulnerable people who are in CHSLDs, ”said Mr. Gendron.
The coroner asked Mr. Gendron what could have happened so that, despite the discussions on preparation in January, we find ourselves in March with CHSLDs in turmoil. And this, even if the H1N1 flu preparation plan from which the CISSS and CIUSSS were to draw inspiration provided that there would be a 30% lack of staff in the network. “What happened between the two? Between the directives, the meetings, and that when we arrive in CHSLD, we have people at war without ammunition… ”
“The organization on the ground is up to them,” replied Mr. Gendron. […] Have all the people prepared sufficiently? Me, I dare to imagine that they put a lot of energy. But sometimes it seems that as long as it doesn’t hit you, you don’t put all your energy into it ”. The latter nonetheless stressed that several establishments had prepared themselves well and that 61% of CHSLDs did not have a case during the first wave.