Health Minister Dubé makes surprise visit to Pontiac Hospital
Health Minister Dubé makes surprise visit to Pontiac Hospital
This story has been updated from its original version.
This morning (August 27), Quebec’s Health Minister Christian Dubé made a surprise visit to the Pontiac Hospital as part of his tour of the Outaouais, meeting with several local officials to discuss issues facing the regional health authorities. This marks the first time a minister from the CAQ party has visited MRC Pontiac in an official capacity.
Dubé met with CISSSO representatives including PDG Marc Bilodeau and several local managers, as well as Pontiac MNA André Fortin.
Dubé didn’t mince words when he spoke to Le Droit Tuesday about the state of the health care system in the Outaouais.
“We won’t pretend that things are going well,” he said in French, adding that this is the region where things “are most difficult”.
RLS Pontiac Director Nicole Boucher Larivière said that they discussed many issues facing the local service network, including the possible departure of several imagery techs in the coming weeks. She said that Dubé assured them that an update on the union negotiations would be made public later this week.
Boucher Larivière added that Dubé got an up-close view of the current staff shortage at the hospital, and the facility’s unique position within the wider region.
Fortin said that while it was positive to see the minister visit the hospital to grasp the local realities, he urged swift action to raise salaries to compete with Ontario facilities.
SOS Outaouais, a regional coalition advocating for improved health care in the Outaouais, said in a written statement that they had a telephone conversation with Dubé, where he committed to continued engagement with them. The statement highlighted the history of provincial underfunding of the region’s health care system.
“With a deficit of nearly $181 million per year, representing a shortfall of $448.54 per capita compared to the provincial average, the unsustainable situation requires concrete and short-term actions,” the statement reads (translated).
