The discontent with the current state of the health and social service system is palpable. Given all the broken promises to Quebecers â to put an end to waiting lists and give everyone access to a family doctor â itâs little wonder government pledges to fix the problems with the health-care system are greeted with suspicion. In contrast to the threadbare solutions contained in the Legault governmentâs health-care reform plan (cost control, phony decentralization, expanding the role of the private sector, etc.), the APTS has a distinctly different vision for the health care and social service system. Our vision is outlined in our political platform and weâll be promoting it with a campaign under the theme âA strong union for a strong public system.â It lays out the kind of health-care system Quebecers deserve and the principles that should guide any government thatâs serious about making it better.
Three years. Thatâs the deadline the Legault government has set itself to put the health and social services system back together with an action plan designed to make it âmore humanâ and âmore effectiveâ. But what is the actual content of Minister DubĂ©âs Plan santéž aka the âPlan to implement changes needed in health careâ? What are the Ministryâs objectives, how will it try to reach them, and, especially, what will be the impact on our system? Weâve gone through the 90-page document to find the answers.
If youâve never worked in a medical lab, itâs hard to imagine the alarming circumstances into which graduate medical lab technicians and medical technologists were plunged during the first wave of COVID-19. And the situation only got more dramatic with the second wave.
This summer, the resurgence of the battle against racism in the United States is generating questions and discussion in QuĂ©bec society. One thing clearly emerges from the debate: if weâre going to fight systemic racism,1 we first have to acknowledge that it exists. We asked two APTS delegates from MontrĂ©alâs Black community to share their views and experiences and tell us what they think might help, as potential solutions.
On May 26, the APTS gave a moving presentation at the public hearings held by the special commission on childrenâs rights and youth protection.1 To mark the occasion, we decided to highlight youth protection workers and the challenges they face. We spoke to Natacha Pelchat, a youth worker at a rehabilitation centre and the APTS provincial representative in Laval.
Just as the austerity period is about to end, the MSSS seems be discovering the magnitude of labour shortages in public health and social services. Revelation! Maybe the health ministry will also see the relevance of the unionsâ proposals.
If a class action suit is given the go-ahead, integrated health and social service centres will have to defend themselves in court for exposing nursing home residents to deteriorating conditions and a form of maltreatment resulting from personnelâs work overload and exhaustion.