Residents of Haute-Gaspésie who have to travel to Rimouski to receive health care want to put an end to what they consider to be an injustice.
More than a quarter of the population of Haute-Gaspésie has signed the petition calling for a review of the health network’s travel policy.
“Three thousand five hundred signatures, we did not expect such a response, but it proves how important this is an issue,” said Karim Haidar, co-director of the Chic-Chocs Volunteer Center, who initiated the petition with other organizations in the region.
Under current policy, to be eligible for government travel reimbursement, patients must travel more than 200 km.
Thus, residents of Cap-Chat and Sainte-Anne-des-Monts are not eligible for reimbursement since they are located just under 200 kilometers away.
A policy “that must change”
“It’s unbelievable, it’s unheard of that, because we are missing a few kilometers, we have to assume all these costs when the service is not offered at home”, launched Diane Sabourin, a residence of Sainte-Anne-des-Monts for six years.
Ms. Sabourin has to go to the Rimouski hospital every three months for injections due to her chronic migraines.
“Gasoline is almost $100 [chaque fois], plus meals. We are retired, our income does not increase, it represents a lot in our budget”, she explained.
“We have many testimonies of people who do not seek treatment for lack of financial means. […] That, we don’t want to hear that anymore, ”said the mayor of Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, Simon Deschênes.
Gaspé MNA Stéphane Ste-Croix will table the petition Thursday in the National Assembly.
Many people hope that the government will follow up on their request.
“They have been fighting for this for more than 10 years, they finally have a voice in the National Assembly, so they are sure to expect a response from the minister,” said Mr. Haidar.
“The Îles-de-la-Madeleine have a special status recognized by the Quebec government due to their insularity. Could the Haute-Gaspésie obtain a special status for basic primary health care so that our population can obtain the same care as elsewhere in Quebec at zero cost? I think that there is no government that will look bad with a similar measure, ”proposed the mayor of Sainte-Anne-des-Monts on Wednesday.
The organizations that initiated the petition hope that their approach will bear fruit and that it will inspire other regions experiencing the same problem to take action.
