2024-10-09 00:03:00
The Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, questions the relevance of certain analyzes carried out in medical laboratories, while medical technologists maintain that they are overwhelmed.
• Also read: Analysis of medical samples: private sector demands put pressure on the public network, technologists deplore
TVA Nouvelles revealed Monday that the amounts of services provided by external hospitals from the private sector have exploded in recent years and that technologists deplore that this adds pressure to them.
This pressure could also be linked to the aging of the population, which leads to more samples that must be processed, according to the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale.
The president of the Alliance of Professional and Technical Personnel in Health and Social Services (APTS) is calling for more transparency in contracts.
“We want them to be transparent with us and make these contracts with private clinics accessible,” he says. At that time we will see if his directive not to analyze private samples is really followed,” he maintains.
Dr. Jean Longtin, microbiologist-infectious disease specialist and associate medical director of OPTILAB Capitale Nationale, believes that the private sector is not responsible for the overload; rather, it points the finger at the aging of the population.
“If someone is unable to make an appointment at a hospital testing center […] They will have it done by a nurse, for example, who is in an agency that takes samples,” he maintains.
For his part, Christian Dubé reiterates that they are banking on the work of Santé Québec to resolve this problem.
“With the experience of Ms. Biron who knew how to manage a laboratory company with skill and aplomb, I think that by transferring this file to them, we will look at the relevance, we will look at automation”
This argument, however, does not satisfy the spokesperson for Québec solidaire in terms of health, Vincent Marissal.
“Santé Québec is Ms. Biron from Laboratoires Biron. We are starting to get quite close to something that is not entirely clear,” mentions the elected official.
“What we are going to look for with Ms. Biron and her team is expertise. Can we better manage a network of 200 million tests per year? The answer is yes,” argues Christian Dubé.
The Parti Québécois wishes to bring together all the stakeholders so that the functioning of OPTILAB can be demystified.
“The government, as we asked a year ago, must put its cards on the table and tell us how things are going on the ground and how many contracts are given to private clinics, how much it costs and what order of priority is privileged,” supports PQ MP Joël Arseneau.
The Liberals believe, for their part, that this situation is linked to the fact that more Quebecers are turning to the private sector.
“If there is an increase in requests for analyzes from the private sector, it is because there are more Quebecers who feel obliged to turn to the private sector and who feel obliged to pay out of their own pockets. to have analyzes that should be done by the public,” says Liberal MP André Fortin.
Québec Solidaire, for its part, deplores that another solution has not been found by the government to carry out these medical tests.
“OPTILAB was a mistake,” says the party’s co-spokesperson, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois. Besides, if I remember correctly, the CAQ had promised to put an end to this project. People who have loved ones or who have themselves undergone medical tests want to have results that are reliable, and quickly. On that point, OPTILAB is a failure across the board.”
See the full explanation in the video above.
1728550659
#OPTILAB #Laboratories #million #tests #million #Quebecers #find #lot #proclaims #Christian #Dubé
