2023-08-29 04:00:00
The steep bill for private agencies continues to explode in the health network and crossed the $1.5 billion mark last year, despite the measures put in place to limit their hiring.
The total cost to hire independent labor (MOI) has quintupled over the past five years, while the bill was $300 million in 2017-2018, according to data from the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) obtained by The newspaper.
“It’s appalling that so much money is spent on employment agencies that get rich, reacts Julie Bouchard, president of the union of the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ), which represents the majority of nurses in the Quebec. It’s really exorbitant in cost and it’s to treat the public population. It is nonsense.”
Total cost of hiring private agencies
2022-2023 : 1 502 296 653$
2021-2022 : 1 325 750 632$
2020-2021 : 1 066 496 708$
2019-2020 : 479 669 738$
2018-2019 : 348 959 390$
2017-2018 : 300 542 528$
Source: MSSS
- These amounts include all types of employment (nurses, orderlies, managers, security guards).
A billion dollars for nurses
The bill has taken on a dizzying scale since the start of the pandemic, when the network found itself in serious staff shortage. Private agencies that provide healthcare personnel (especially nurses) are by far the most expensive, at $1.1 billion last year.
“It’s a loss of control of the health system, notes Jean-Claude Bernatchez, professor of labor relations at the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières. It costs more because we pay for profitability [des entreprises privées]. We are going towards a wall if this continues.
- Listen to the interview with Julie Bouchard, president of the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé on Marie Montpetit’s show via QUB radio :
In general, the cost of a nurse in the private sector is two to three times that of an employee in the public network (including social charges).
Remote regions such as the Côte-Nord and Abitibi-Témiscamingue paid more than $100 million in independent labor last year, where recruitment is even more difficult.
In Montérégie-Ouest, the bill for the MOI reached $127 million. Last week, The newspaper revealed that the Salaberry-de-Valleyfield hospital hires nurses from the private sector who live in the Outaouais, so great is the shortage.
The end of agencies possible?
Given the magnitude of the situation, the commitment of Health Minister Christian Dubé to abolish the use of private agencies by 2026 in the province is a major challenge. Urban areas like Montreal will even have to stop hiring MOI by next year, he promised.
“The minister has quite a challenge ahead of him,” admits Ms. Bouchard. […] Good working conditions must be put forward to bring them back into the public network. […] Otherwise, it can’t work. »
The MSSS has implemented several measures to curb the exodus to the private sector. Normally, agencies must obtain unfavorable shifts (evenings, nights and weekends).
Also, the CISSSs prohibit their former employees who have left a private agency from returning to work in their establishments for one year.
According to Mr. Bernatchez, the solution involves a review of the organization of work, including acts reserved for nurses and a review of collective agreements.
“Outsourcing may be appropriate for exceptional situations, but not for the very heart of the public service,” he believes.
The regions that hire the most in the private sector
North Shore $158,440,160
Monteregie West $126,525,556
Abitibi-Témiscamingue $114,458,321
Laurentians $105,261,788
Bas-Saint-Laurent $83,899,613
CIUSSS Centre-Sud-de-l’île-de-Montréal $97,507,541
CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’île-de-Montréal $79,997,488
Capitale-Nationale $76,332,742
CIUSSS Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal $63,460,526
Laval 52 140 250$
CIUSSS West Island of Montreal $50,343,653
Total 1 502 296 653$
Source : MSSS, 2022-2023
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