Doctors in favour of the public plan excluded from consultations
(Montreal) Initially encouraged by the expressed desire of the Minister of Health "to hear all (of) partners, as well as the people in the field", the Regroupement des Médecins québécois pour le régime public (MQRP) is now dismayed not to have been invited to consultations on Bill 15.
In a statement sent Thursday, the group founded in 2005 says it has been "involved in all important discussions on the organization of health care" for more than a decade. However, despite "several requests through the official channels of the commission" as well as public outings, no invitation was sent to him to go and exchange with elected officials in order to improve the future "An Act to make the health and social services system more efficient".
The Canadian Press was able to confirm that two of the three opposition parties in the National Assembly had asked the commission to invite the group. Québec solidaire even says it has again offered to host the MQRP following the withdrawal of another intervener.
On Twitter, the Parti Québécois critic for health, Joël Arseneau, deplores the absence of these doctors and blames Minister Christian Dubé for "choosing to remove them."
The Liberals did not put the group on their initial list, but maintain that they supported the application to participate.
Christian Dubé's office notes that the invitations to the consultation were determined after a negotiation process between the leaders of the four parties represented in the National Assembly.
The minister still leaves open the possibility of a parallel path. "We will take the time to read the brief of this group, like all the briefs of those who could not be received in committee. It will also be our pleasure to meet with them to hear their ideas,"
reads the statement sent by his office.
Hundreds of doctors and medical students are members of the MQRP. As the name of the group says, it is mainly the defence of the public nature of the network that challenges these health professionals.
They believe that "the indisputable choice [...] to make more room for the private sector in health" will have profound and lasting impacts on the network. These doctors therefore wish to be welcomed in person to discuss what they consider to be "
a fundamental issue" of Quebec society.
Following the public release last month of a large group of community organizations called "Riposte au Plan santé", of which the MQRP group is a part, Minister Christian Dubé's office said it was reaching out to the coalition and invited it to be heard as part of the consultations. It appears, however, that the scope of this invitation is limited to the filing of a brief.
Comme tout autre citoyen peut le faire, le regroupement va soumettre un mémoire par écrit, mais l’impact n’est pas le même aux yeux de la Dre Camille Pelletier Vernooy.
« Par expérience, le grand avantage (d’être présent) c’est qu’on peut discuter. On peut poser des questions et répondre aux questions non seulement du ministre, mais aussi des autres partis politiques par rapport à la privatisation des soins de santé que l’on voit au Québec », explique celle qui siège au conseil d’administration de MQRP.
Dr. Pelletier Vernooy adds that the members of her group are first and foremost "clinicians on the ground" who are well placed to testify to "the immense long-term impacts" of an increasing place given to the private sector in health.
"Studies, data, examples in other Canadian provinces have shown us that these are not positive impacts," she says, listing access to care, equity and labour migration.
Bill 15 aims to create the Agence Santé Québec, a Crown corporation that will have the mandate to oversee the operations of the entire health network, while the ministry will retain the role of determining orientations and budgets.
Special consultations on the bill, conducted by the Committee on Health and Social Services, are scheduled to resume next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Professional orders and unions will then march in front of elected officials. In total, 38 groups will have been heard.
The Canadian Press health content secures funding through partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for editorial choices.
In a statement sent Thursday, the group founded in 2005 says it has been "involved in all important discussions on the organization of health care" for more than a decade. However, despite "several requests through the official channels of the commission" as well as public outings, no invitation was sent to him to go and exchange with elected officials in order to improve the future "An Act to make the health and social services system more efficient".
The Canadian Press was able to confirm that two of the three opposition parties in the National Assembly had asked the commission to invite the group. Québec solidaire even says it has again offered to host the MQRP following the withdrawal of another intervener.
On Twitter, the Parti Québécois critic for health, Joël Arseneau, deplores the absence of these doctors and blames Minister Christian Dubé for "choosing to remove them."
The Liberals did not put the group on their initial list, but maintain that they supported the application to participate.
Christian Dubé's office notes that the invitations to the consultation were determined after a negotiation process between the leaders of the four parties represented in the National Assembly.
The minister still leaves open the possibility of a parallel path. "We will take the time to read the brief of this group, like all the briefs of those who could not be received in committee. It will also be our pleasure to meet with them to hear their ideas,"
reads the statement sent by his office.
Hundreds of doctors and medical students are members of the MQRP. As the name of the group says, it is mainly the defence of the public nature of the network that challenges these health professionals.
They believe that "the indisputable choice [...] to make more room for the private sector in health" will have profound and lasting impacts on the network. These doctors therefore wish to be welcomed in person to discuss what they consider to be "
a fundamental issue" of Quebec society.
Following the public release last month of a large group of community organizations called "Riposte au Plan santé", of which the MQRP group is a part, Minister Christian Dubé's office said it was reaching out to the coalition and invited it to be heard as part of the consultations. It appears, however, that the scope of this invitation is limited to the filing of a brief.
Comme tout autre citoyen peut le faire, le regroupement va soumettre un mémoire par écrit, mais l’impact n’est pas le même aux yeux de la Dre Camille Pelletier Vernooy.
« Par expérience, le grand avantage (d’être présent) c’est qu’on peut discuter. On peut poser des questions et répondre aux questions non seulement du ministre, mais aussi des autres partis politiques par rapport à la privatisation des soins de santé que l’on voit au Québec », explique celle qui siège au conseil d’administration de MQRP.
Dr. Pelletier Vernooy adds that the members of her group are first and foremost "clinicians on the ground" who are well placed to testify to "the immense long-term impacts" of an increasing place given to the private sector in health.
"Studies, data, examples in other Canadian provinces have shown us that these are not positive impacts," she says, listing access to care, equity and labour migration.
Bill 15 aims to create the Agence Santé Québec, a Crown corporation that will have the mandate to oversee the operations of the entire health network, while the ministry will retain the role of determining orientations and budgets.
Special consultations on the bill, conducted by the Committee on Health and Social Services, are scheduled to resume next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Professional orders and unions will then march in front of elected officials. In total, 38 groups will have been heard.
The Canadian Press health content secures funding through partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for editorial choices.
