Today, as lawmakers examine the 1,180 articles of Minister Christian Dubé’s sweeping health care reform, Québec Solidaire is proposing three amendments dubbed the “anti-private shield.”

Health spokesman Vincent Marissal intends to present his three proposals to his colleagues on the Health and Human Services Commission this Wednesday, when work on Bill 15 resumes.

In particular, the forthcoming “Health and Welfare Efficiency Improvement Act” provides for the creation of a government company called Santé Québec, which will be responsible for coordinating the operations of the entire network. The ministry retains its role of dictating directives and setting budgets.

Among the many criticisms leveled at the reform, some have criticized the Coalition avenir Québec government for wanting to speed up the privatization of healthcare at the expense of the public system.

According to Vincent Marissal, this bill represents “the most frontal attack” on the public nature of the health network.

To close this breach, the MNA is proposing for Rosemont to withdraw two articles and add a plan to bring certain services currently provided by private clinics back onto the public grid.

Vincent Marissal first asks for the repeal of Articles 485 and 506. The first request gives the future Quebec Health Authority the power to authorize the operation of private establishments that offer services comparable to those already offered by the public network. The second part describes the types of services that can be provided by a specialized medical center authorized by Santé Québec.

The third point of his plan is to conduct an operation aimed at restoring supplies already provided by the private sector. At the same time, the public network could recycle staff and resources “siphoned off” by the private sector.

From a perhaps more philosophical point of view, the second opposition spokesman also wants to reintegrate the principle of the “right” to “free, public and accessible” health care in his third amendment.

“It is important! Right now it is a legal right. That right disappears in Bill 15. If you don’t get a benefit to which you are entitled, you have a legal right. “When it’s no longer a right, you have no recourse,” Mr. Marissal explained in an interview with The Canadian Press.

The Health and Human Services Commission held six special consultative meetings, attended by a wide range of stakeholders from the medical, social, trade union, administrative, community and other sectors.

In addition, more than a hundred briefs were sent to the committee with a view to improving the bill.

Throughout the process, Minister Christian Dubé reiterated that he was listening and that his bill could be improved.

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