A false solution?
New proposed surgical regulations spark debate over costs and risks to the
public health network
By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
The Quebec government’s proposed regulation to expand access to surgical services through private clinics has stirred immediate debate, with unions warning the measure could undermine the public system while driving up costs.
Health Minister Christian Dubé announced on Aug. 20 the prepublication of the draft Regulation on Access to Surgical Services in the Gazette officielle du Québec. The regulation, now subject to a 45-day consultation period, would allow patients facing long waits in the public network to be referred to private clinics for their procedures.
Dubé framed the measure as an overdue step toward easing surgical backlogs. “After several months of work, this is an important milestone to increase access to surgery and reduce wait times,” he said in a press release. “We have always said the public and private networks can be complementary, and we will continue to prioritize the interest of patients.”
What the regulation proposes
The draft regulation sets out a series of obligations for private providers when participating in the coordinated access system. Private medical centres and hospitals would be required to accept any patients referred through Santé Québec and to deliver the procedure within the time limit established by the referral system.
All surgeons and dentists providing surgical services would also be bound to use the centralized referral and distribution system, ensuring patients are not cherry-picked or left in limbo.
In addition, Santé Québec would be required to keep patients informed of their place in line, their priority ranking, and the average wait times associated with their procedure. The regulation specifies that digital tools should be the preferred method of communication.
The measure would come into force 15 days after its publication in the Gazette officielle du Québec.
Union rep: “A false solution”
Danny Roulx, national representative for the Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux (APTS), told The Record in an Aug. 28 interview that the regulation presents the private sector as a “miracle fix” when, in reality, it could deepen the crisis in the public system.
“For us, it’s clear that the government is selling this private option as if it’s a miracle that will save the health network,” Roulx said. “But the reality is, the private sector costs up to twice as much. Quebecers will be the ones paying more for surgeries.”
He pointed to a straightforward comparison: carpal tunnel surgery in private clinics costs about $908, while the same procedure in the public system is evaluated at $495. “If the government pays the private sector, it pays more than it would in the public system,” he stressed.
Roulx also questioned the government’s narrative that patients would benefit from faster access without trade-offs. “It looks like an easy solution, but really it’s opening the door wide to private care and slowly dismantling the public network,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment