Health network staffing shortages are costing Quebec taxpayers a fortune as the total bill for hiring private agency workers has more than tripled in three years to a record $875 million.
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“It’s frightening to see that,” says Julie Bouchard, president of the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ). “It has been an incredible loss of control since the pandemic began. »
The deployment of independent workers (MOI) in the healthcare network has cost more than US$875 million (M) between April 2021 and March 2022, according to recent data from the Department of Health and Human Services (MSSS).
privatization of jobs
This is a significant increase in just three years when total costs were $235 million in 2018-2019 (see tables).
These agency employees are hired to fill the staff shortage to the public. This figure includes all types of employment.
“We are privatizing these professions at high speed,” responds Judith Huot, first vice-president of the FSSS-CSN trade union.
The pandemic largely explains this increase as thousands of sick employees. Exhausted by the working conditions and the forced overtime, many have also opted for the private sector.
The Côte-Nord Integrated Health and Social Services Center (CISSS) tops the list with a $101 million bill.
“Given the labor shortage, CISSS needs to hire agency staff to maintain its services,” spokesman Pascal Paradis wrote.
The cost of a private nurse is $148 an hour, or about three times the public (including Social Security), we explain.
In Abitibi-Témiscamingue, 300 out of 1,000 foster vacancies were vacant at the beginning of the summer. Obviously, the shortage of staff in remote regions is more glaring, but Montreal’s CISSSs have also made extensive use of the private sector.
“It is clear that this system cannot continue. It is very expensive and not effective in terms of quality and safety of care,” believes Roxane Borgès Da Silva, a professor at the University of Montreal specializing in network management.
A revolution?
“A revolution must be made. Even if the agencies save us from time to time, it has to be exceptional cases. You can’t handle it like that. »
In September 2021, the government introduced measures to return caregivers to the public grid, including a $15,000 bonus. According to MSSS, 11,645 employees have returned.
However, the MSSS writes that “it is not possible to ban the use of agencies without jeopardizing the care and services offered to the population, particularly for facilities in remote regions. The MSSS had also promised that private agencies would no longer have access to day shifts. The trade unions complain about a measure that is not applied.
COSTS OF INDEPENDENT WORK IN THE HEALTH NETWORK
2021-2022 $875,129,373
2020-2021 $663,909,408
2019-2020 $349,205,763
2018-2019 $234,777,519
2017-2018 $201,022,961
Source: MSSS
Editor’s note: Includes all types of health network jobs (nurses, orderlies, managers, housekeeping, respiratory therapists, etc.)
THE REGIONS THAT HIRING THE MOST IN PRIVATE
► CISSS of the North Shore $100,924,371
► CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal $78,468,772
► CISSS Laurentians $76,329,839
► CIUSSS Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal $73,850,150
► CISSS by Abitibi-Témiscamingue $66,034,728
► CIUSSS of the Capitale-Nationale $61,484,334
► CISSS from Bas-Saint-Laurent $51,417,687
► CISSS du Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal $51,282,944
NEARLY $700 MILLION IN SECURITY AGENTS
The pandemic is very profitable for security companies, which have raised almost $700 million in the healthcare network over the past two years.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced healthcare facilities to hire more staff to enforce health regulations. Result: Quebec paid $689 million to private agencies.
If we add this independent work to all other types of healthcare network employment, the total bill for 2021-2022 is $1.2 billion.
SECURITY GUARD EXPENSES
2021-2022 $353,330,352
2020-2021 $336,317,264
2019-2020 $94,214,058
2018-2019 $87,105,287
2017-2018 $75,383,352
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