There is currently a shortage of 18,219 health workers to meet the “minimum needs” of the network, but the Minister of Health Christian Dubé believes that the situation has “stabilized” for a few months.
As expected, almost half of the missing people are in the nursing profession with 5,439 clinical nurses and 2,326 auxiliaries in deficit. The situation also remains critical for beneficiary attendants (3926), administrative officers (2008) and social workers (1419).
On the other hand, only 148 psychologists are missing according to the ministry, despite the severe shortage that the profession has been denouncing for years.
The Minister acknowledges that “a lot of people have left in the last two years” but affirms that the situation has “stabilized a lot” over the past year.
Mr. Dubé also let it be known that he intended to rely more on “staff retention” than on recruitment, stressing that very significant efforts had been made to recruit only 1,000 nurses in Europe.
The data as of the end of February was made public on Tuesday as part of the study of budgetary appropriations at the National Assembly. They represent the network’s “minimum labor needs” and do not include all unreplaced needs such as unfilled shifts.
Liberal MP for Pontiac André Fortin asked the Minister several questions on this subject. “There are fewer and fewer people in the health network,” he said from the outset.
In total, there are more than 10,000 fewer employees in the network than at the same time last year, according to ministry data. Overall, 329,896 hold the fort.
Mr. Fortin noted that the downward trend was confirmed from year to year, the network having also lost 10,000 people between 2021 and 2022.
More details will follow.