According to the Quebec public health authorities, there is a shortage of about 4,000 nurses in the network and waiting lists for surgeries are immense, or about 140,000 Quebecers awaiting surgeries. There are therefore, on several occasions, breakdowns in services in several regions of Quebec, which causes significant damage to citizens.
In addition, the aging of the Quebec population is causing an increase in the demand for health care services and leading to a decrease in the supply of these services, which means that the situation is very likely to worsen in the future. .
In short, the health system is creaking everywhere!
Relieve the health system
One of the long-term solutions to solve this serious problem is to focus on prevention, that is to say, in this case, to adopt measures that tend to eliminate certain behaviors that entail the risk of require health care, within a large part of the Quebec population.
This would help reduce the health care needs of the population and thereby take the strain off the system.
This is why I am asking the Government of Quebec to adopt a new public health policy that will focus, among other things, on the prevention of health problems linked to malnutrition, air quality, sedentary lifestyle, etc.
Possible solutions
This new policy could include measures such as the following.
1. Prohibit the sale of energy and carbonated drinks to minors.
2. Create a working group of public health experts who will assess which products are good for the health of our citizens and which are harmful to it.
3. Add a 10% tax to products harmful to health (cigarettes, soft drinks, candies, cakes, etc.) and add a negative tax (subsidy) to products deemed good for health (fruits, vegetables, etc.) which will make it possible to avoid an increase in the cost of living and which will also make it possible to direct citizens’ purchases towards products that are good for their health, while making these more accessible to low-income consumers.
4. Carry out an awareness campaign aimed at making known the harmful effects of certain products on the health of individuals and at promoting healthy lifestyles.
5. Support the organization of the Pierre Lavoie Challenge in order to allow all young Quebecers from high school, college and university to participate in the Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie La Course.
6. Develop the network of childcare centers and nursery schools for 4 years.
7. Prohibit the use of all pollutants as a means of heating, in order to improve air quality.
8. Oblige businesses, government institutions and city centers to have one parking lot reserved for zero greenhouse emissions vehicles for every 20 parking lots, then to increase to two for every 20 parking lots the following year and so on. , until 90% of the parking lots are reserved for zero greenhouse vehicles.
Jessy Gareau
Graduated from the Center collegial de Mont-Laurier in human sciences and currently a student at UQAM in the Baccalaureate program in intervention in physical activity (Teaching profile of physical education and health)
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