2024-11-11 21:25:00
The elimination of around twenty beneficiary attendant positions at the University of Montreal Hospital Center (CHUM) demonstrates the return of “austerity” in the Quebec health network, the Union of Hospital Employees argued on Monday. establishment (SECHUM-CSN).
Since last spring, 27 beneficiary attendant positions and 5 administrative agent positions have been abolished at the CHUM, the hospital confirms.
“It causes a very, very large overload for the workers who are on the floor,” underlined the president of the union organization, Anick Mailhot, during a press briefing held in front of the establishment.
The union is therefore demanding the reinstatement of these eliminated positions and “the immediate cancellation of policies to reduce spending in health and social services”. “Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé says he wants quality care for patients. So stop cutting staff in patient care. That’s where we need staff, not at the Santé Québec agency or elsewhere. »
For its part, the CHUM maintains that all position abolitions were carried out by maintaining the “clinical performance of the care units in accordance with the best practices of the network and by ensuring the safety and quality of care offered to patients”.
The establishment thus explains having carried out a comparative analysis with other hospitals, before eliminating these positions last June which were all “without holders”.
However, it is not because these positions had no holder that they were not occupied, notes the president of the CHUM employees’ union. “Most were replacements and should have been on display over a year ago,” she says.
“Austerity” measures
During the union’s press briefing on Monday, Québec solidaire MP Vincent Marissal deplored the current state of the Quebec health system. “Staff and patients are suffering and the quality of care is deteriorating. Then, the private sector obviously takes advantage of this to take the place unoccupied by public care. »
“We are quietly demolishing, piece by piece, our network,” he lamented.
Mr. Marissal affirmed that the CAQ government was indeed introducing “austerity” measures. “We are in the process of being given a quick pass by the Coalition Avenir Québec. She tells us: “There is no austerity, it is rigor. We just ask establishments like this to respect budgets.” But we are asking to respect the budget with less money,” he stressed.
At the end of September, Radio-Canada revealed that in order to return to a balanced budget by March 31, 2025, Quebec health establishments must find more than $1 billion in savings.
Last Thursday, the public broadcaster reported that more than 40 nurse, auxiliary nurse and beneficiary attendant positions were eliminated within the Integrated University Health and Social Services Center (CIUSSS) of the Center-Sud -from-the-Island-of-Montreal. These deletions affect, among others, the Notre-Dame Hospital and the Verdun Hospital.
The CIUSSS told Radio-Canada that these abolitions followed the “removal of “superstructures” created during the COVID-19 pandemic. Faced with the health emergency, the CIUSSS had added temporary positions to meet exceptional needs, as was the case for intensive care. Today, these measures are no longer necessary.”
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**Interview with Anick Mailhot, President of the Union of Hospital Employees (SECHUM-CSN)**
**Editor:** Thank you for joining us today, Anick. Can you start by explaining the recent staff cuts at the University of Montreal Hospital Center and their implications?
**Anick Mailhot:** Thank you for having me. The recent elimination of 27 beneficiary attendant positions and 5 administrative agent positions at CHUM is a clear sign of the return of austerity measures within the Quebec health network. These cuts put immense pressure on the remaining staff, leading to greater workloads and potentially compromising the quality of care we can provide to our patients.
**Editor:** You mentioned the overload on the current staff. How is this affecting patient care?
**Anick Mailhot:** It’s significant. When you remove essential support roles like beneficiary attendants, the staff who are still on the floor end up stretched thin. This can lead to delays in care and possible errors, which is troubling because we are all here to ensure the safety and wellbeing of patients. The Minister of Health claims to prioritize quality care, yet these staff cuts are contradictory to that objective.
**Editor:** The CHUM administration said these positions were eliminated based on a comparative analysis with other hospitals and claimed they were “without holders.” How do you respond to that?
**Anick Mailhot:** Just because these positions were classified as “without holders” does not mean their absence won’t be felt. Most of these roles were meant for replacements, and leaving them unfilled for over a year has created gaps. Moreover, it’s crucial that we have the personnel to respond to patient needs, and removing those positions is detrimental to our operational capacity.
**Editor:** The political perspective seems quite divided. You’ve had comments from local politicians like Vincent Marissal who express concern about the state of healthcare in Quebec. What are your thoughts on the political response?
**Anick Mailhot:** It’s encouraging to see politicians like Mr. Marissal speaking out against these austerity measures. The notion that we can respect budgets while simultaneously cutting essential staff is fundamentally flawed. We are witnessing the erosion of our public healthcare system, and the private sector is indeed seizing opportunities in the void left by these reductions.
**Editor:** What are the immediate demands of the union in light of these cuts?
**Anick Mailhot:** We are calling for the reinstatement of all eliminated positions and the cancellation of policies that focus on reducing spending in health and social services. We believe that proper funding and staffing are essential to providing quality care—not only for the benefit of our patients but also for the health and safety of our workers.
**Editor:** Thank you for sharing your insights today, Anick. It’s a critical time for healthcare in Quebec, and we appreciate your perspective.
**Anick Mailhot:** Thank you for the opportunity to discuss this important issue. It’s vital we continue advocating for our healthcare system and the people who rely on it.
