New health agency would make Dubé less accountable, Quebec Liberals say

Article content

The creation of a new management agency separate from the provincial health ministry would allow Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé to be less accountable, the Quebec Liberals said on Wednesday.

Article content

The claim was made as the Liberal caucus — who form the official opposition in the National Assembly — meets prior to the resumption on Tuesday of the provincial legislature.

Article content

The party is unhappy with a proposal to create a new agency called Santé Québec assigned to co-ordinate the operations of the provincial health-care network.

In an interview with Le Devoir, Dubé said such an agency would prevent the occurrence of incidents similar to that experienced by Andrée Simard, the widow of former Quebec premier Robert Bourassa, who was deprived of palliative care in the three days prior to her death.

Liberal health critic André Fortin said it was “incredibly cynical” to suggest such a situation would not occur had there been an “agency CEO.”

“It’s a civil servant’s solution that relieves the minister of his responsibilities,” Fortin told reporters. “I cannot believe that the solution at the moment to the health system is to add an extra box to the health ministry’s organizational chart. The solution is to recruit more personnel.”