Left to right: Pierre Gu énard, Mayor of Chelsea; Caleb Ademakoun, member of the Coalition; Jean Pigeon, DG of the Foundation Sant é de l'Outaouais and spokesperson for the coalition SOS Outaouais; Beatrice Lefebvre, volunteer; and Luc Cadieux, president of the Foundation Sant é de l'Outaouais.
Local Journalism Initiative
SOS Outaouais manifesto addresses health care challenges
Carl Hager
A coalition of Outaouais organizations and individuals took advantage of the fifth anniversary of the Quebec National Assembly’s recognition that health care in the Outaouais, including the Pontiac, is underfunded by $181 million dollars every year compared to the health care funding in the rest of the province. To commemorate the occasion, SOS Outaouais invited the public to sign their manifesto denouncing the government’s lack of action in restoring health care funding to the provincial average at a special event held at the organization’s office in Hull on October 30. The group intends to deliver the manifesto to Health Minister Christian Dubé in Quebec City in early December.
Jean Pigeon, SOS Outaouais Director, said that there has been no movement by the government to improve health care delivery. There has been no investment in new technology and not enough done to curtail the exodus of workers to the better remunerated Ontario side. Outaouais elective surgery lists are the longest in the province and hospital emergency rooms are understaffed.
Pigeon said. “There has been no explanation by the government as to why health care funding in the Outaouais lags so far behind the rest of the province. We will be bringing the manifesto to the Pontiac area to be signed by residents there. It is essential that we show the government that this situation can no longer be tolerated.”
The manifesto has already gathered over 700 signatures and Pigeon said he expects many more as it remains available for signing until the end of November.
