Many players in the health sector have welcomed the plan to restore the health system tabled Tuesday by Minister Christian Dubé. On the other hand, some express fears that these measures will end up not being carried out.
Posted at 3:12 p.m.
The Order of Nurses of Quebec was pleased that several of the measures announced, such as the end of compulsory overtime, “aim to improve the conditions of practice of nurses and to allow greater use of their expertise” .
We must first “review the organization of work to promote optimal use of nursing expertise, offer better clinical support, as well as enhance initial training and improve the offer of continuing education”, argued the president of the Order, Luc Mathieu.
Nurses are not the only ones anticipating increased responsibilities: pharmacists and paramedics will also see their tasks expanded.
“The pandemic has demonstrated the ability of pharmacists to use their new professional activities, such as vaccination, adjustment and extension of prescriptions,” argued the president of the Order of Pharmacists of Quebec, Bertrand Bolduc.
He also signified his approval of the centralization of information and the modernization of communication systems announced by the minister.
In the same vein, the Corporation des services d’ambulance du Québec (CSAQ) also welcomes the expansion of tasks. “When we know that the majority of emergency calls are low priority calls, Minister Dubé is right to want to count on the contribution of paramedics to improve access to the front line by expanding their role,” indicated the Dr Sébastien Toussaint, President of the Corporation.
The possibility of treating patients at home or taking them to a clinic rather than to the emergency room could, according to him, unclog hospitals.
This opinion is shared by the Association of Emergency Medicine Specialists, which “welcomes the measures to strengthen the first line, whether in terms of family medicine or the modernization of pre-hospital services and an increased role for nurse practitioners specialized. These stakeholders, in addition to home care, play a crucial role in preventing patients’ only recourse from being the emergency room. »
Concrete actions
“Are we once again in fine words? asked the president of the Centrale des unions du Québec, Éric Gingras, in a telephone interview, recalling that Quebec is in a pre-election context.
He described the plan as “ambitious” and “positive”, but recalled that “this is not the first time that we have had press conferences” which promise change.
For its part, the Quebec Federation of Labor (FTQ) “does not see how (Mr. Dubé) will make his shift because of the underfunding of his health plan”.
The Alliance of Professional and Technical Personnel in Health and Social Services (APTS) invites “the Minister to take a first concrete step now by implementing a series of solutions to attract and retain the staff. He must not wait five years to act! »
The private divides
Several private sector representatives welcomed the government’s desire to create more partnerships with their sector. The Council of Private Enterprises in Health and Wellness stated that “improving access to health care for Quebecers requires increased collaboration between the public and private sectors, without affecting the universality and free services”.
“For many years, the observation has been clear: the private sector tends to allow a diversification of the offer, increased access to care and a reduction in waiting times leading to a reduction in congestion in the public sector” , said Charles Milliard, President and CEO of the Federation of Quebec Chambers of Commerce.
But among the unions, we view this trend with suspicion.
“We are already short of staff in the public sector, it will be worse if the private sector hires more. This will have the effect of accentuating the creation of a two-tier system where accessibility to care and services throughout the territory is already in question,” argued the APTS, which is calling for “a moratorium on any new privatization project »
“Diverting public funds to favor the private sector is not the best idea […]. Instead, all of this money should be devoted to improving public services while investing in attracting and retaining staff by improving the conditions for exercising employment and remuneration,” said the president of the FTQ, Daniel Boyer.
Mr. Gingras, he warned that the involvement of the private sector should not call into question the universality of care.
This article was produced with the financial support of the Meta Fellowships and The Canadian Press for News.