Recognizing that the labor shortage in Nunavik is “glaring”, the government is increasing attraction and retention bonuses by more than 21% to attract more nurses to the region.
For the most remote regions, this amount increases from $20,447 to $24,829 and will be indexed in the years to come. Quebec is also increasing the number of outings granted to personnel working in Nunavik. These outings allow nurses who do not live in Nunavik to leave the village where they work to see their families, often established in the South. Each candidate who has completed 26 weeks of work will now be able to benefit from 6 outings per year, compared to 4 previously. “This is an arrangement that will allow health professionals to work shorter periods. This is a significant additional gesture to make working conditions in the region more attractive, ”said the office of the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, in a press release.
Quebec is also announcing easier access to the “northern leave”, which allows a nurse to temporarily leave her post to work in Nunavik. In a press release, the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ) indicates that these leaves will “now be granted almost automatically”. Employers in health establishments in the south “will no longer be able, as is currently the case, to refuse them for any valid reason”, it is indicated.
A situation that persists
The staff shortage in Nunavik has been glaring for months. Last summer, The Press revealed that the region’s health authorities had called in the army for reinforcements.
In January, The Press also published a survey highlighting the difficult access to care in the region.
Last week, the president of the College of Physicians, Dr.r Mauril Gaudreault delivered a vibrant plea for “the end of the status quo” in Nunavik. The Dr Gaudreault was back from a tour of the region.
“The situation has been critical for months in both Hudson’s Bay and Ungava Bay. The healthcare professionals working there have multiplied the denunciations faced with the lack of healthcare professionals. They are overloaded, exhausted and were no longer able to provide quality and safe care. […] Their working conditions will be improved, starting now. This is good news for the healthcare professionals, but also for the people who live in these communities”, indicates the FIQ, Julie Bouchard.
Moreover, scenarios are currently being analyzed in Quebec to build a new hospital in Nunavik. “This will ultimately allow the deployment of various specialized services directly in the region, thus avoiding the transfer of many patients to Montreal,” reads the press release from the office of the Minister of Health.