Quebec must reduce delays for the elderly and disabled who are suffering, said the province’s auditor general Wednesday.
In his annual report, Auditor General Michael Samson said when disabled and elderly patients end up in hospital emergency rooms, doctors very often know nothing about them, because in 70 per cent of the cases, there's no file on them.
“It's not good for these type of people,” said Samson, who argues regional health boards operate like fiefdoms.
“Each area has its own, establishes its own, standards so we have a gap between the different areas,” he said,
Quebec spends $870 million each year on home care for elderly and the disabled, but many people wait months or years for an evaluation.
Health Minister Rejean Hebert said the government is proposing a vast re-organization of home care by 2017, where patients will be followed earlier and at home.
Opposition Liberals, however, worry the plan may be financed by abolishing home care tax credits.
“Budgets should be attached to the individual, depending on the level of autonomy that he or she has,” he said.
Samson, meantime, said this is the kind of discussion the provincial government must engage in.
Tax collection a must: auditor general
Samson also takes aim at Revenu Quebec, saying the agency is sloppy and doesn't go after people and companies who owe the government money.
Last year, Revenue Quebec failed to collect about $100 million from companies and another $10 million from individuals.
“There are problems with the administration of penalties,” said Finance Minister Nicolas Marceau, adding that he plans to tighten the reins.
Large, multinational companies will face more scrutiny from the government too, he said.
“What has to be put in place to ensure that mulitnationals pay their share is a system by which information is flowing automatically,” creating a trands-border system with fewer holes for tax evaders, he said.
