Health Minister Christian Dubé on Thursday ordered the withdrawal of a directive imposing financial penalties on senior patients on the North Shore if they refuse to be transferred to CHSLDs.
“I can understand that the situation on the North Shore is difficult, but that is no reason to treat patients like that,” the minister declared Thursday morning. “It won’t happen again,” he promised in English.
The existence of the directive was revealed Thursday morning on Paul Arcand’s morning radio show in Montreal. As of May 24, it would have been written by the Integrated Health and Social Services Center of the North Shore, according to columnist Jonathan Trudeau.
After carrying out checks, the minister’s office indicated that the directive had not yet been applied and therefore no patient had been the subject of threats.
The flying team not yet ready
Health services in the Côte-Nord region have been in crisis since the entry into force of new regulations limiting the use of private personnel agencies.
This is the second time this week that the government has been embarrassed by what is happening in this region.
Monday, Le Duty revealed that a baby born without major problems had to be separated from its mother and transferred to a Quebec hospital due to the closure of the Baie-Comeau nursery.
Questioned on Thursday about his share of responsibility in the crisis, Minister Dubé denied having acted too quickly with his regulations on agencies. “Not at all,” he said. “It’s a question of approach.”
He added that the “limits” of collective agreements prevented him until very recently from creating his “flying team” to provide reinforcements to regions lacking personnel. “I wish I had done it before.”
More details will follow.
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