The appointment of Geneviève Biron, a businesswoman with a career in the provision of private health services, at the head of Santé Québec raises concerns.
The Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, was able to emphasize that she would form a “duo” with a public manager, Frédéric Abergel, the profile of Mme Biron bothers more than one.
Mme Biron was until 2021 at the head of Biron Groupe Santé (BGS), a company founded by his father, today managed by his sister Caroline. BGS offers private medical imaging, sleep care, genetic testing, and laboratory sampling and testing services.
The new president and chief executive officer (PCD) assures that she is “really focused on the public system” and that her priority is to improve access for all, whether it is access to emergencies or to a family doctor.
“What interests me is to make our public health system more efficient, better organized, to give results to the population,” she said Monday during an announcement in the new premises of the Agency, on Chemin Sainte-Foy, in Quebec.
“Yes, I’m coming with the private sector,” she added. “But that’s my experience. It allowed me to do things and be able to […] understand customer service and operational experience. »
However, for the president of the Alliance of Professional and Technical Personnel in Health and Social Services (APTS), Robert Comeau, his appointment at the head of the Agency sends a “very negative signal” to his troops and “demobilizes » the laboratory and medical imaging sectors. “The company of Mme Biron contributed to the shortage problems we are currently experiencing, he said. He is a competitor to the network, while his mandate will be how to find people in the private sector so that they come back to the public. »
Like other unions, the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec is concerned about the “growth of the role of the private sector in health”. “The minister can shake the columns of the temple as much as he wants, if healthcare professionals leave for the private sector because of horrible working conditions, it will achieve nothing,” declares its president, Julie Bouchard, in a press release.
On the side of Parliament, the Parti Québécois finds that this appointment sends a curious signal. “Without calling into question the qualities and skills of Mr.me Biron, we are concerned about the appointment of a manager from the private health sector to consolidate and relaunch the public health network in Quebec, both symbolically and operationally,” argued the MP for Îles-de-France. la-Madeleine, Joël Arseneau, by press release. “The expansion of private health care weakens the public system and notably aggravates the shortage of personnel. »
For Québec solidaire (QS), this is clearly a sign that the private sector “is now in control of our health network”.
A promised “Chinese wall”
The QS deputy Vincent Marissal also insisted that all measures be taken in terms of conflicts of interest, knowing that the public network “frequently subcontracts” to BGS, where the new PCD has “worked for a long time and where his relatives are still working,” the party argued in a press release.
Asked to specify which subcontracting he was referring to, QS gave the example of a $16,700 contract given in 2023 by the Mauricie Integrated University Health and Social Services Center for a beryllium sampling protocol. The party also mentions that BGS services are among the options offered by the private sector on the Clic Santé platform.
Monday, Mme Biron committed from the outset to eliminating any potential conflict of interest. This means that it will “disengage from decisions in its investments that could affect the health sector in Quebec,” the ministry indicated during the announcement.
She will also have to put in place what is called a “Chinese wall” between herself and members of her family. This means that they will not be able to have “any exchange” regarding any matter related to the field of health and in which her family or her husband could be “involved on a professional level”.
Since the departure of Geneviève Biron from the management of Biron Groupe Santé, it is her sister Caroline who has managed the company. In the past, her other sister, Eve-Lyne, was also its leader.
As for her partner, Sylvain Poirier, he is a strategic advisor for private health companies and public establishments.
The head of the CHUM in operations
The government also announced the appointment of “number 2” of the agency on Monday, in the person of Frédéric Abergel, who has been head of the University of Montreal Hospital Center (CHUM) since last year.
“It’s a duo with an external person, but also an internal person,” Minister Christian Dubé underlined on this subject.
Mr. Abergel will serve as executive vice president of operations and transformation. Its mission will be to coordinate the actions of the 38 health establishments — integrated health and social services centers (CISSS), hospital centers and others.
His annual salary will be $520,950 for the first two years, which includes a 15% bonus for starting the new organization. Mme Biron will be paid $652,050 for the same period.
Priority for access
The appointment was made official during a special meeting of the Council of Ministers on Monday morning.
The new state-owned company Santé Québec must take charge of the day-to-day management of the health system during this year. Around 700 employees of the Ministry of Health are to be transferred there.
The Union of Professionals of the Government of Quebec (SPGQ) is also calling for an “urgent meeting” with the new PDC on this subject. “For the moment, the law includes our members in the collective agreement of the health network, which is disadvantageous for them,” says its president, Guillaume Bouvrette.
“For equivalent positions, our members earn 7% to 14% more than workers in the health network. They will therefore find themselves out of rate and out of scale. » According to the SPGQ, 25 people have resigned since the start of the year and 31 people have found employment in another department or organization.
The complete integration of the teams at Santé Québec must take place in the fall and the transition will end in April 2025.
