The head of a union representing health-care workers at the hospital in Gaspé, Que., says employees of the hospital’s psychiatric unit are concerned for their safety and have been skipping work as a result.
Pierre-Luc Bujold, the president of SIIIEQ, a union for nurses, auxiliary nurses and respiratory therapists in Eastern Quebec, acknowledged the absences have caused service disruptions, such as some patients being transferred to other units in the hospital.
But he said staff have a right to refuse to work if they fear for their safety.
Under staffing in Quebec health-care centres has been acute since the COVID-19 pandemic, when hundreds of nurses left the public system, decrying poor working conditions and low pay.
Bujold said that while one patient in the psychiatric unit at the Gaspé hospital had posed a particular challenge to nurses recently, safety concerns have been an ongoing issue.
“It’s something that happens quite regularly. A few times a year the services don’t match the need,” said Bujold.
Hospitals in Quebec regions are less equipped to deal with safety risks to staff than health-care centres in Quebec City or Montreal with specialized units, Bujold explained.
He is calling for long-term solutions to support patients and staff.
“We have more and more psychiatric cases. I think it’s also a social problem that’s been emerging for quite a long time,” said Bujold.
The health authority for the Gaspé region, the CISSS de la Gaspésie, said staffing issues are improving.
In an email, CISSS spokesperson Lou Landry said the Gaspé hospital’s psychiatric unit had managed to avoid complete closure.
Landry confirmed some staff did not show up to work but declined to say what prompted the safety concerns.
She said the situation is expected to return to normal early next week.