Dube says he is '100% in agreement' with the partial closure of the Senneterre emergency room
Health Minister Christian Dubé said he is "100% in agreement" with the partial closure of the emergency room in Senneterre, in the northwestern Quebec region of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, on Monday.
The health minister addressed the issue of the shortage of caregivers in a press scrum in Malartic, Que. on Friday afternoon.
He said that the reduction of service hours in Senneterre was a temporary solution, while 250 nurses were recruited in the region.
Dubé also encouraged all parties to "put some water in their wine" to try to find other innovative solutions.
"There is hope," he said, saying he sensed a determination in the region to get out of this "very serious" situation.
As of Monday, the Senneterre emergency room will only be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Outside of these hours, patients will have to go to Val-d'Or or Amos.
On Friday, Dubé reiterated his goal of recruiting some 4,000 nurses across the network through bonuses.
He acknowledged that money alone would not be enough to attract the workforce and that working conditions had to be improved.
The day before, the Parti Québécois had called for Dubé's personal intervention to ensure that all services in Senneterre were maintained.
Its parliamentary leader, Joël Arseneau, argued that the reduction in services endangered the health and safety of the population, in addition to further clogging other emergency rooms in the region.
"It's applicable as of Monday," said Dubé on Friday. "I agree 100% with the solution that is there, but I will ask the teams to continue working to find solutions."
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 15, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.