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
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for 'healing and reconciliation'
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
It's 30 years since apartheid ended. South Africa's celebrations are set against growing discontent
South Africa marked 30 years since the end of apartheid and the birth of its democracy with a ceremony in the capital Saturday that included a 21-gun salute and the waving of the nation's multicolored flag.