“Premium cover”: the PQ and the CAQ criticize a waste of public funds

Photo Agence QMI, Sebastien St-Jean
The situation is aberrant in the eyes of François Paradis, member of parliament for the Coalition avenir Québec.

Pascal Dugas Drone

Wednesday, 24 January 2018 16:53

UPDATE
Wednesday, 24 January 2018 16:57

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The CAQ and the PQ saw it as a waste of public funds, the “premium” offered to medical specialists to put on a garment of protection when they must treat patients in isolation.

• READ ALSO: A premium of$ 66 for each patient in isolation

Our Bureau of investigation revealed Wednesday morning that Québec has provided $ 8 million for three years for this extra 65,95 $ that may be charged to doctors each time they should wear gloves, mask and jacket to cure a patient in isolation.

“This is stupid!”, a summary the mp for the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ), François Paradis, in an interview with the QMI Agency.

“It is money poorly spent, which could be used for many other things, such as hiring nurses or to put more resources in to the emergency to ensure that the waiting lists are less important”, he added.

Mr. Paradis has also deplored the lack of transparency of the minister of Health and the fact that a journalistic investigation has been required to make public this information.

“The minister says that there are other [premiums]. If there are other things, if one is aware of it since three years […], they are put in the light, we question this use of public funds”, he said.

No more service

For its part, the mp of the parti québecois Diane Lamarre has also criticised the use of public funds.

“We made sure that this money-there would only serve to divide an act global for which the compensation was already covered”, she explained. Spend more money, but there is no increase in service.”

Like its counterpart caquiste, Ms. Lamarre reiterated the importance of reviewing the mode of remuneration of physicians.

“This is the demonstration that this is, in the remuneration of doctors needs to be reviewed,” she explained.

Global envelope

For his part, the minister of Health has wished to clarify that there was not an additional contribution provided to doctors, but rather of an amount already included in a “global envelope”

“How this budget is distributed, it belongs to the Federation of doctors specialists in Quebec,” said Mr. Card, in an interview with TVA News.

It is also for the idea of better pay for doctors when dealing with cases heavy, but recognizes that the label “premium cover” is “a little ridiculous”.

“This is not going to cover that you pay, or the fact you wear a jacket, you pay a longer consultation, more complex, because the patient is more ill,’ he pointed out.

– With the collaboration of Marc-André Gagnon