Quebec missed 'numerous' opportunities to improve healthcare services for seniors during deadly first wave of COVID-19
During the onset of the pandemic, Quebec missed “numerous” opportunities to alleviate “excessively serious” consequences for seniors living in long-term care homes.
That’s according to Thursday’s preliminary report from Quebec's Health and Welfare Commissioner Joanne Castonguay.
The provincial government requested Castonguay investigate Quebec’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which in her report she calls “one of the worst crises that modern Quebec has ever known, if not the most serious of all.”
In her report, Castonguay recalled that during the first wave of the pandemic, before Aug. 13, 2020, the coronavirus claimed the lives of 5,745 people.
Of those deaths, approximately 90 per cent occurred in elder-care environments.
Those spaces included public and private facilities, as well as long-term elderly care units in hospitals.
The investigation examines why the province’s long-term care homes and health services for the elderly were unprepared to handle the pandemic.
The commissioner identified several key issues plaguing healthcare and support services for seniors.
According to the report, “fragmented” record keeping has made it difficult to hold healthcare providers accountable.
Without more precise documentation, Quebec’s Health and Wellbeing Commission (CSBE) “questions” whether services could have been improved.
“Without reliable and timely data and without an efficient assessment of the quality of care and services offered to the elderly, the government cannot make informed decisions,” wrote Castonguay in a Thursday news release.
AN ‘EXCACERBATED’ SYSTEM
What’s more, the commissioner says decades of studies into senior services have provided insight into the province’s shortcomings, yet not enough has been done to address them.
Issues of understaffing and a lack of integrated services “were known for a long time,” she wrote, “and the crisis has exacerbated them.”
“[Why hadn't Quebec] adopted these solutions before the crisis?” asked Castonguay. “I sincerely wish to bring a promising light on this question.”
HEALTH MINISTER RESPONDS
Quebec’s Health Minister Christian Dubé thanked the commissioner in a news release Thursday.
“The report released today is a first step in [the commission’s] analysis of the functioning of our health network,” he said.
“Several elements contained in this report have already been implemented in the management of the second and third waves of the pandemic.”
Thursday’s release includes just a portion of the study. A final report, which is expected to include recommendations to improve the health-care system, is set to be released on Dec. 30, 2021.
-- With files from the Canadian Press.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.