Quebec may study how Outaouais health care is affected by Ottawa

The Quebec government will decide later this week whether to study how the nearby Ontario health-care systemaffects the one in the Outaouais, says a western Quebec MNA.

'There's such a heavy shortage of nurses that we don't necessarily see in the other regions of Quebec.' Elizabeth Leduc, Outaouais nurses union

Benot Pelletier, the minister responsible for the Outaouais, said Wednesday that he will look into theidea afterthe studywas called for bythe health lobby groupl'Outaouais l'urgence phase II at a debate on health care Wednesday night presented by Radio-Canada, the CBC's French-language service.

The western Quebec region faces a shortage of medical professionals and overflowinghospitals that were ranked nearthe bottom of asurvey by the news magazine L'actualit earlier this year.

The Outaouais sends an increasing number of patients to Ottawa for treatment, a CBC report revealed earlier this week.

L'Outaouais l'urgence phase II has complained in the past that Ottawa hospitals are luring away Outaouais doctors and nurses with higher pay and active recruiting.

Pierre Ippersiel, a spokesman for the group, said the Quebec and Ontario governments should discuss a partnership that would allow medical professionals to work in both provinces at the same time.

Elizabeth Leduc, the president of the Outaouais nurses union, said the region faces unique problems.

''There's such a heavy shortage of nurses and respiratory specialists that we don't necessarily see in the other regions of Quebec," she said.

Cardiologist Claude Lvesque said he studied the Health Ministry's numbers and found they clearly show the region receives less funding per capita than other parts of Quebec.

Itneeds an extra $150 million a year in order to meet the population's needs, Lvesque said.

That is why an increasing amount of provincial funding has been going towards treating Outaouais patients in Ontario, he added.

"What we want is to use this money to improve our service in Outaouais," he said.

Pelletier admitted that the region's health-care system has problems, but said he does not think the region needs more money.