2024-03-12 20:11:50
Determined to put an end to the fax era, Quebec will extend $900 million over five years to digitize its health network. The Girard budget focuses heavily on hospitals and home care, but provides little new money to improve access to the first line.
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Despite budgetary rigor, Health (like Education) is one of the two major State missions prioritized by the Minister of Finance, Eric Girard.
His colleague Christian Dubé will therefore be able to count on increases of 4.2% in spending this year, then 3.2% next year. This is still a drop compared to 5.7% real growth last year.
“The level of health spending has been much higher since the pandemic” and will remain so, noted Eric Girard. The minister estimates this additional cost at between $2 billion and $3 billion each year, in particular to maintain stocks of medical equipment and vaccination centers.
At the same time, Quebec has reserved an envelope of $3 billion annually in order to settle with the sectors still without new collective agreements (FIQ, general practitioners and specialists, ambulance drivers, RI, RTF).
Listen to the analysis of Antoine Robitaille, columnist at the Journal de Montréal et de Québec, with breaking news on the budget on QUB:
A boost to RPA
In this budgetary exercise, network digitalization gets the lion’s share. Quebec reserves $902.5 million over the five-year horizon.
The sum will allow the implementation of the Digital Health Record, but also the integration of artificial intelligence in order to “reduce the administrative burden on professionals” who will thus be able to devote more time to care.
This massive investment is well received by the president of the Confederation of National Unions (CSN), which represents many employees in the health network.
“It fills a technological gap. Everyone laughs about faxes in the health care system. So, indeed, it can improve [les soins aux patients] by reducing paperwork and ensuring that information is available quickly,” observes Caroline Senneville.
Another major beneficiary, the home support services sector will receive $581 million over five years. Quebec hopes to increase the number of hours offered from $34.7 million today to $43.6 million in 2028.
You should know that the needs for home support are immense: since 2019, Quebec has added $8 billion to improve its offer.
In order to help private seniors’ residences, which are closing their doors at an alarming rate, the Legault government will extend the salary bonuses paid since the start of the pandemic.
This aid was due to end this year, but will ultimately remain in place until December 31, 2026.
At the same time, the Legault government continues to deliver on a promise made in the heart of the pandemic, by approving private CHSLDs. By the end of the current month, 13 will have already been; 16 more should be added over the next year.
1st line
Concerning access to the first line, the Girard budget contains few new features. For the next five years, $113.5 million is planned to continue the deployment of the First Line Access Counter, which allows you to obtain an appointment with a health professional.
According to Quebec, this system makes it possible to redirect half of requests to a service other than a medical appointment.
Health Quebec
For the president of the Alliance of Professional and Technical Personnel in Health and Social Services, a big unknown remains when reading the budget.
“The black hole is the creation of the new Santé Québec agency. We do not know how much it will cost to create a structure parallel to the Ministry of Health,” notes Robert Comeau.
Note, however, that Quebec reserved $60 million in its budget last year to set up Santé Québec. Its rolling budget will come from the Ministry of Health, which will transfer part of its activities to the new agency.
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