The deployment of flying teams announced by Christian Dubé last May, in order to lend a hand to regions facing a significant labor shortage, is more than expected.
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According to the latest data from the Ministry of Health regarding the public flying team, 28 people have been hired, 120 interviews have been scheduled in the coming days and 500 applications are currently being analyzed. The Côte-Nord, Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Outaouais regions will be prioritized during the deployment.
The president of the FIQ-Syndicat interprofessionnel en soins de santé de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue (SISSAT), Jean-Sébastien Blais, explains that “stability is very fragile” in the hospitals in their region, while “services were reduced to their maximum during the summer period.”
Although the deployment of these flying teams is highly anticipated, Mr. Blais confides that he is “starting to believe in it a little less,” since the dates keep getting pushed back. “The more it goes on, the more it gets pushed back. […] They are not able to confirm a date or the number of hires,” he added in an interview with Quebec Morning.
On the ground, it’s a “contrary effect,” since they use “more independent labor,” explains the president of the FIQ-SISSAT. Last year, $155 million was spent on independent labor in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, he announces. “That’s breaking records,” he continues.
Mr. Blais said he was “disappointed” that the government did not take into consideration the plan they had proposed for the summer period, which, according to him, was “frankly less expensive than the flying teams.”
“We can’t wait for this help to arrive”
Reinforcements are arriving slowly, while the summer vacation period has already begun. As a result, several departments have been condensed to avoid staff reductions, but “this puts a lot of pressure on employees,” says Mr. Blais.
Out of “compassion,” employees tend to stay at work and accept overtime when they see that “the next shift is not coming,” because they “don’t want to let their users down,” he explains.
Thus, the next generation is highly anticipated in order to avoid this type of situation. “We are eager for this help to arrive,” continues Mr. Blais.
The president of the FIQ-SISSAT believes that there should be 75 nurses and 50 auxiliary nurses on the floor as reinforcements to fill this gap. However, for Mr. Blais, it is not the ideal long-term solution to call on staff from outside the region.
Jean-Sébastien Blais invites Health Minister Christian Dubé to visit Abitibi-Témiscamingue to find solutions to the current situation. “Things have been bad here for five years […] “It’s time for him to come and meet us,” he concluded.
For more information, see the full interview above.
