Public psychologists are mobilizing to demand better access to care

(Montreal) Psychologists and neuropsychologists are mobilizing to demand better access to psychological care in the public network and better working conditions in order to curb the exodus of professionals to the private sector.

The Coalition of Psychologists of the Quebec Public Network (CPRPQ) held a demonstration Sunday afternoon in Dorchester Square, in Montreal, to make their demands heard from the government.

Their main demand is a change to the law on bargaining units in the social affairs sector in order to be able to create a union of psychologists in the public network, in the hope of solving the shortage.

Currently, the voice of those working in social services, health and education is drowned out among more than a hundred employment groups and distributed among four central unions, says the president of the CPRPQ.

“We are the only ones to have a compulsory doctorate, and therefore, we start working around the age of 30. This is not taken into consideration from a salary point of view. Our interests and our specific issues cannot be brought to the negotiating table”, explains the D^D Karine Gauthier in a telephone interview.

Higher pay is the top motivation for psychology graduates to choose private over public, according to a survey. Next come the issues of professional autonomy.

About 75% of doctoral students go directly to the private sector at the end of their studies, indicates the D^D Gauthier who works in a pediatric hospital.

And in the first five years of their career, more than 40% of graduates who chose public institutions finally decide to opt for the private sector, adds the president of the Coalition.

The public network should recruit all doctoral students in order to maintain the same current level of staff, according to the portrait of the workforce of the Ministry of Health and Social Services.

For the health network alone, by 2023, there will be a shortage of nearly 900 psychologists in the health sector, according to the CPRPQ.

This lack of staff results in significant delays before a meeting with a psychologist in the public network.

The average wait is six months to two years, but often more, deplores the D^D Gautier. This has important consequences if the services of a psychologist or a neuropsychologist do not intervene at the right time in a patient.

“It can range from increasing the complexity of the issues to suicide attempts and deaths, lists the D^D Gautier. It is urgent to improve access for the most vulnerable. »

Last October, the CPRPQ submitted a brief to the government in which it presented a plan to improve access to psychologists. This proposed an investment of $155 million by hiring 450 psychologists and with a salary catch-up of 30%.

In return, Quebec would manage to achieve annual recurring savings of $383 million in terms of hospitalizations and medical visits, in particular, according to the calculations of the group, which wants better recognition of the profession.

The Coalition of Quebec Public Network Psychologists is a non-profit organization with more than 1,200 members.

This article was produced with the financial support of the Meta Fellowships and The Canadian Press for News.