Quebec forces optometrists to stay in public system with ministerial order

The Quebec authorities issued a ministerial decree Wednesday to unit optometrists to enactment successful the nationalist wellness strategy arsenic declaration talks stay unresolved.

The determination comes arsenic optometrists had threatened to propulsion retired of the nationalist programme connected Nov. 22 implicit stalled negotiations astatine the bargaining array with the province.

Health Minister Christian Dubé said the ministerial decree volition “protect susceptible patients,” adding they shouldn’t “bear the brunt” of negotiations. In Quebec, children, radical implicit 65 and low-income earners payment from publicly-funded oculus care.

“Now, negotiations indispensable instrumentality spot astatine the table,” Dubé wrote connected X, formerly known arsenic Twitter. “The precedence is to connection prime services to the population.”

The decree is successful effect for the adjacent six months.

In a statement, the Association des optométristes du Québec said it plans to situation the authorities order. It noted astir 90 per cent of its members had decided to retreat from the wellness security board, known arsenic the RAMQ.

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“Since each nonrecreational has the ineligible close not to enactment successful the nationalist plan, we greatly deplore the government’s attitude,” said AOQ president Dr. Guillaume Fortin. “Negotiations person been astatine a standstill for astir 5 years.”

The past statement expired successful 2020.

— with files from Global’s Anne Leclair and The Canadian Press