Regular tests for unvaccinated health-care workers to cost Quebec about $1 million per week
The Quebec government may have avoided another crisis by backtracking on its threat to suspend unvaccinated health-care workers, but it's a decision that will prove to be a costly one.
Approximately 8,000 existing workers in the healthcare system who haven't received the vaccine will have to submit to COVID-19 testing three times per week to remain on the job under new measures announced Wednesday that will replace the cancelled vaccine mandate.
New hires, however, will have to be vaccinated under the new policy.
According to figures provided to Noovo Info, the average test will cost $42. At three tests a week, the government is expecting to spend roughly $1 million on thousands of workers.
The head of the Quebec Nurses Association said the government put itself in a lose-lose situation to either allow the 8,000 unvaccinated health-care staff to keep working or make staffing shortages worse.
The association said letting the unvaccinated staff stay isn't going to be the Band-Aid on the hemmorage that is nurses leaving their jobs in Quebec.
"It's important to understand that the vaccination mandate is a very basic part of healthcare and the fact that we're not able to implement such a basic public health measure is because we've driven so many people out of healthcare in the last few years that we can't manage a small, handful of people leaving because they don't want to be vaccinated," said the association's president, Natalie Stake-Doucet.
"For me, that's the real scandal."
Originally, the plan was to have an Oct. 15 deadline to have all health workers vaccinated or they would face suspensions without pay.
Then, that was pushed to Nov. 15, but now it's gone all together after Minister of Health and Social Services Christian Dubé acknowledged the impact on healthcare would be catastrophic. The vaccine mandate is also being challenged in court despite the government backing down on the government decree.
"To deprive ourselves of 8,000 people [in health staff ranks] will have devastating consequences for our network," Dubé said Wednesday.
On Thursday morning, the Canadian Mesical Association (CMA) said it was also disappointed with the decision. It said it's clear there's a balance between ensuring there's enough staff and trying to get everyone vaccinated.
When governments aren't able to adopt all the necessary health measures to protect the population, it's a signal of ongoing system failure, the CMA said.
As of this week, about 97 per cent of public health-care staff are vaccinated, so the ones that will have to do regular testing represents about 3 per cent of employees.
'WHY WOULD THE GOVERNMENT PAY FOR THAT?'
The Quebec Liberals were critical of the decision and called for the cost of the weekly tests to come out of the unvaccinated workers' pockets -- not the government's.
"Why would the government pay for that?" said Liberal MNA Andre Fortin in a press scrum Thursday.
"It's their decision not to subscribe to the vaccination process. It puts people at risk. It is disrespectful to their fellow employees, it worries our citizens who are turning to our hospital system and, frankly, it's their decision. They should be the one to pay for it."
Vincent Marissal, a Quebec Solidaire MNA, called the handling of the vaccination mandate a "failure."
"The minsiter came out a few months ago, flexing his muscles, playing tough against people in the healthcare system and he has not been able to deliver so there's no other way to see it as a failure," he said.
Thursday afternoon, the health ministry updated its progress in the campaign to hire more nurses. So far, 864 have been newly hired and around 2,700 have been upgraded from part-time to full-time.
The government aims to hire 4,300 more nurses in total.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
DEVELOPING Hamas accepts Gaza ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar
Hamas said it has accepted a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar, which seeks to halt the seven-month war with Israel in Gaza, prompting Israel to say it would send a delegation to negotiate – though it warned the proposal remained far from the 'necessary requirements.'
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
2024 Met Gala: Everything to know about fashion's annual soiree
Fashion’s biggest night out — hosted at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York each year on the first Monday of May — is both a forever-evolving spectacle and a carefully crafted event.
Competition Bureau launches inquiry into Lululemon over 'greenwashing' allegations
Canada's Competition Bureau has launched an inquiry into Vancouver-based Lululemon following a complaint from members of an environmental group.
Officer convicted of on-duty rape no longer with Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary says an officer convicted in 2021 of raping a woman while on duty is no longer with the force.