(Quebec) Out of 2,165 volunteers sought, just over 500 civil servants responded to the government’s call to become service aides on a temporary basis, in order to lend a hand to the health network.
Posted yesterday at 3:50 p.m.
On Friday, Quebec appealed by email to public service employees to lend a hand in hospitals for a few weeks, while 12,000 health care workers are absent due to COVID-19.
He asked them to become service assistants, whose function is to support the beneficiary attendants in the distribution of meals and cleaning, for example. They might also perform administrative tasks to ease the burden on nurses. Volunteers are entitled to bonuses paid to health workers, the government has promised. They were asked to come forward by Monday evening.
Of the 2,165 people sought, “518 raised their hands in just a few days,” said the office of the Minister of Health and Social Services, Christian Dubé, on Wednesday. He added that a follow-up will be done quickly with the 518 civil servants by the CISSSs and CIUSSSs.
Most of the 518 people “say they are available in the evening and at the end. It is completely complementary to the needs of the network at the present time”, he specified, while expressing his gratitude towards the volunteers.