The Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, will count on an envelope of 3.7 billion additional dollars over five years to “offer the best possible care to Quebecers”. Seniors are at the heart of health investments, with an additional €1.1 billion dedicated to maintaining and improving the quality of their care and services.
5.3% growth in health spending
The health spending budget, the government’s largest expenditure item, increased by 5.3% to 61.9 billion. The agreements with public sector employees concluded this winter had a significant impact on public finances, generating an increase in spending of approximately $3 billion. However, the strikes in the health network allowed the health network to save 130 million in wages. Quebec, however, specifies in its budget that these “are not savings for the government”, since the unused budgets were used to finance services to the population in health establishments.
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Half a billion for home support
Given the aging of the population, the government announced Tuesday an additional sum of more than $1.1 billion over five years dedicated to care and services for seniors. Of this sum, 581 million will be used to improve home support services, which includes personal assistance and help with domestic life services. Currently, approximately 398,000 Quebecers have access to home support, while 15,700 are waiting for services. The government aims to meet the needs of 19,000 additional people by 2028. “Where is the major shift if in four years we will have barely increased our capacity to meet people’s needs for home services. I find it embarrassing,” however, deplores the head of government administration at Québec solidaire, Christine Labrie.
One in four establishments in poor condition
The Legault government will invest 2.9 billion over 10 years for the construction and expansion of hospitals, CHSLDs and homes for seniors and alternatives. Currently, nearly one in four health network establishments (23%) is judged to be in “bad” or “very poor” condition, reveals the Quebec Infrastructure Plan (PQI). More than half of this sum, or 1.8 billion, will be dedicated to major projects for the construction, reconstruction, expansion and redevelopment of hospitals, including the emergency and intensive care of the hospital. Amos, as well as the emergency room and the operating room of the Sept-Îles hospital. Quebec is also planning 253 million to support the deployment of seniors’ and alternative homes, which will provide a living environment adapted to 3,500 seniors with significant loss of autonomy or adults living with a disability by 2026.
More hospital beds
Quebec wants to reduce the pressure on the hospital network, caused by patients no longer requiring care, but who remain hospitalized. To achieve this, the budget provides an additional sum of 457 million over five years for alternatives to hospitalization. “For example, a person no longer requiring acute care could spend their convalescence at home while receiving the required professional support,” the budget details. An additional sum of $306.5 million will also make it possible to add hospital beds to meet the growing needs of the population.
Digital shift
The Legault government is injecting 1.8 billion in additional investments into the health sector over five years, in order to improve access to health care for the population and reduce pressure on hospitals. Of this amount, more than 900 million will be used to accelerate the digital shift in the health network, which notably includes the arrival of the Digital Health Record. The government is also providing $113.5 million to continue the deployment of the Front Line Access Center (GAP), leading in particular to the implementation of the Your Health platform.
Supporting vulnerable people
Quebec is investing $738 million over five years to consolidate social services for young people and vulnerable people. This sum will notably make it possible to increase the accommodation capacity in rehabilitation centers for young people with adjustment difficulties. The government is also planning $195 million to strengthen mental health and social services to support people in crisis situations. “We are planning a lot of expansion and renovation of hospitals, but there is nothing in the budget that allows us to believe that there will be renovations for the DPJ, in dependency or in rehabilitation for intellectual disabilities and we knows that it is already a significant problem,” laments the president of the Alliance of Professional and Technical Personnel in Health and Social Services (APTS), Robert Comeau.