Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé is pushing back the deadline to end the use of private placement agencies in the health care system. He made the announcement on Thursday.
Regions that were to comply with the government’s desire to no longer use this independent workforce as early as October, namely Quebec, Montreal, Montérégie and Chaudière-Appalaches, will benefit from a reprieve until March 31, 2025.
The goal of ending the agencies remains the same, but the situation does not currently allow it, said Minister Dubé’s office, saying it must show flexibility to ensure a better coordinated transformation.
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Interview with Christian Dubé, Minister of Health of Quebec
For several weeks now, the Fédération des médecins spécialisé du Québec (FMSQ) has been asking the Legault government to postpone this deadline, citing the lack of preparation of the health network for such a withdrawal.
While saying it is maintaining its course towards the gradual end of the use of costly private agencies, the Ministry of Health stressed, in a press release released to the media on Thursday, that maximum rates are now respected across the network.
The ministry explained that the postponement was intended to ensure a healthy transition for patients and staff.
At all times, the priority remains to ensure safe care for patients and to avoid service disruptions.
A quote from the Quebec Ministry of Health press release
Loans of services, an issue
According to Quebec, the six-month postponement will make it possible to promote the recruitment of personnel to strengthen the public network and to ensure effective transformation and workforce planning, in particular the loan of services between establishments and the establishment of flying teams in remote regions.
On this last point, Minister Dubé stressed, in an interview with Patrice Roy at TV news 18 hthat the regions which will benefit from a reprieve are precisely those whose hospital staff help to make up these flying teams.
When we send flying teams or service loans, they come to us from Montreal or Quebec. If I am too tight in Montreal and Quebec, I will no longer be able to help my regions. It is a kind of domino effect.
A quote from Christian Dubé, Quebec Minister of Health, in an interview on Téléjournal 6 p.m.
Regarding living environments that must have minimum staff thresholds in place, the ministry is announcing a relaxation to allow them to gradually end the use of agencies.
Thus, the second regulation postpones the date of application of the ban from October 20, 2024 to October 19, 2025 for private establishments under contract and not under contract, private residences for the elderly and intermediate residences located in urban areas.
The ministry recalled that more than 3,800 people from private agencies have been hired in the public network so far this year.
Furthermore, Quebec stressed that the collective agreements concluded to date provide for the recognition of seniority for staff of private agencies and other measures to make the public network more attractive.
Doctors satisfied
On his page X, the president of the FMSQ, Dr. Vincent Oliva, welcomed Minister Dubé’s decision. This is in line with what we were asking for and demonstrates the importance of consulting caregivers who know the reality on the ground and for whom safety and access to care are priorities.
The Collège des médecins du Québec (CMQ) also said it was satisfied with Mr. Dubé’s announcement. The professional order believes that the minister will thus be able to pursue his objective while introducing flexibility into the terms and conditions.
This should reduce the direct impact of staff shortages on patients in some regional hospitals, ensure better continuity of care and give caregivers some respite, the College wrote on X.
Opposition dissatisfied
The Parti Québécois’ health spokesperson, Joël Arseneau, deplored the government’s lack of consideration for other regions.
This backtracking on the agencies was predictable, but only pushes the problem back. Once again, the minister is taking care of the big centres, but doing nothing for remote regions like the Côte-Nord, where his flying team has still not been deployed, said the MP on X.
Québec solidaire’s health spokesperson, Vincent Marissal, was also critical.
It is urgent to get rid of the agencies, but this is only possible if nurses return to the public sector. Not only is the CAQ failing at this task, but it is continuing to develop the private sector. We are moving backwards! denounced the MP on X.
A North Shore resident is a second-class citizen.
In an interview with ICI Première, the president of the Council of Physicians, Dentists and Pharmacists of the Côte-Nord, Dr. Youssef Ezahr, believes that Minister Dubé’s decision illustrates that a North Shore resident is a second-class citizen.
Dr. Ezahr says the situation is not changing on the North Shore because, he says, preferential rates do not exist in this region of eastern Quebec.
As a result, the Côte-Nord finds itself in a situation of unfair competition with Montreal, stressed Dr. Ezahr, adding that the cap on the number of hours worked by agencies is also disadvantageous for the region.
The doctor explains that a nurse from Montreal will not travel to the North Shore for a week of work and [qu’]she won’t be able to do more.
We are less attractive for a Montreal agency. And with Mr. Dubé’s announcement, we will be even less attractive, he said.
According to Dr. Ezahr, the North Shore is being kept in a crisis. He gave the example of Northern Quebec, which is exempt from the rate cap.
The North Shore Physicians Council is calling for a real solution, even if it means promoting a North Shore exception so that we are truly attractive, he argued, adding that nurses from private agencies represented 50% of the workforce.
We hope that Mr. Dubé will find a solution quickly for us, he said.
With information from The Canadian Press
