As the pandemic continues to clog hospitals, 12 organizations are calling on Quebec to establish safe ratios in health care.
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The number of patients per employee is not safe. This is a situation that is deplored by many health professionals who must prioritize the cases and the care they will provide. Thus, 12 groups, associations and professional orders launched a plea for a law on safe ratios in health care in Quebec.
“The COVID-19 crisis has lifted the veil on an unacceptable situation that has persisted for too long. In Quebec, we must be able to count on a guaranteed level of care that is not dependent on budget cuts, which do not change according to political decisions made by governments or those made by health establishments,” said the plea signatories.
In addition to improving the quality of care provided, the establishment of ratios could attract personnel, they believe, recalling that California, in the United States, and the State of Victoria, in Australia, have succeeded in overcoming the labor shortages by adopting patient/caregiver ratios.
“To sustain this momentum, we are calling on the government to implement a national health workforce strategy to recruit, train, support and retain sufficient healthcare staff to ensure the presence of competent teams. and complete, and this, everywhere in the province”, concluded the spokespersons of the movement.
What the signatories demand:
— A law on healthcare professional/patient ratios that ensures compliance with established ratios at all times, throughout Québec.
— A law that explicitly defines the ratios to be implemented according to the needs of client groups and the population, for all 1st, 2nd and 3rd line care settings.
— A law which also provides that health establishments are accountable for its implementation and compliance.
— A law that finally allows the ratios to be increased as needed, depending on the state of health of patients, the needs of the communities and the complexity of the care.