Posts Tagged ‘Privatization’
The secret to a strong health and social service system
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.
Read MoreThe private sector on health careâs front lines: a new deal?
The central role of primary health care is indisputable. As the point of entry to our health-care system, primary care should in theory meet 80 per cent of Quebecersâ health and social service needs by preventing health problems from occurring or worsening. The Legault governmentâs health-care reform plan (Plan santĂ©) aims to entrust primary care to Family Medicine Groups (or GMFs for groupes de mĂ©decine de famille) â 75 per cent of which are privately owned â and they are making it sound like this is a bold and innovative solution. Looking back at the last 50 years, Anne Plourde, author and researcher at the Institut de recherche et dâinformations socioĂ©conomiques (IRIS), found that the opposite is true. Private-sector involvement in primary care is nothing new, and the dominant view of primary care in QuĂ©bec has largely been shaped by the private sector.
Read MoreThe private sector in health care: panacea or bad idea?
The private sectorâs role in health care was on everyone’s lips during the election campaign, but given the widely diverging opinions, there was no clear understanding of how that might be interpreted. François Legault said he wanted to accelerate the âmigrationâ of primary care services to family medicine groups (GMFs) and give private clinics more latitude in specialized care. Dominique Anglade wanted a major push to clear the surgery backlog, through agreements with the private sector. Eric Duhaime bluntly questioned the basic principle of keeping public and private health care separate. And Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois tersely commented that if private health care worked, weâd know about it.
Read More2023 contract talks: how can we win?
Excitement is in the air at the APTS. Weâll be tabling our demands and launching the next round of public-sector contract talks in just a few days, and our whole organization is mobilized to make sure weâre ready. We asked APTS president Robert Comeau and APTS 1st vice-president JosĂ©e FrĂ©chette, political officer responsible for national bargaining talks, to share their thoughts just before this key moment in our union life.
Read MoreâPlan santĂ©â â what is it?
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.
Read MoreSeniorsâ residences a lucrative market in QuĂ©bec
The pandemic has cruelly highlighted the cracks in QuĂ©becâs seniorsâ housing model, which relies heavily on private facilities. Two researchers recently looked into who owns seniorsâ residences and where their profits come from.
Read MorePrivatizing health care under cover of COVID-19
Our health and social services system is at a crossroads. Workers are exhausted, public services are eroding and elderly citizens have been all but abandoned. None of this is new.
Read MoreThe dark side of free trade
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the extent to which Québec depends on overseas manufacturing plants to supply even the simplest of products, like masks. With protectionism on the rise in many countries, have we been relying too heavily on globalization and free trade?
Read MoreWhat we deserve… no more, no less
As partners in the upcoming public-sector negotiations, the APTS and the FIQ were united in their response to the unwelcome statements made by Premier François Legault.
Read MorePublic-private university hospitals: the dice were loaded from the beginning
The public-private partnership (P3) model complicates the process for eliminating occupational health and safety hazards in MontrĂ©alâs shiny new university hospitals. Simply obtaining authorizations for the necessary remedial measures is more arduous and time-consuming.
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