Health and Fitness ? Medical residents end strike ? Health and Fitness

Hospitals and medical students across the province are breathing a collective sigh of relief now that the residents have called off a general, unlimited strike.

Quebec?s 3,000 medical residents were back on the job pronto Saturday afternoon after union leaders got an offer they couldn?t refuse.

That means that full coverage in hospitals resumed immediately for patients and medical students, said Dr. Charles Dussault, president of Fédération des médecins résidents du Québec.

The strike lasted all of four hours ? unleashed after an intense night of negotiations led to a dead end.

But by noon, residents had signed an agreement in principle with Quebec Health Minister Yves Bolduc.

?We got to the point where our members would be satisfied,? Dussault said.

The biggest obstacle was wage parity. Quebec residents earn up to 32 per cent less than their counterparts in other provinces, Dussault said.

The association accepted the government?s monetary offer, which was lower than wage parity, Dussault said.

?We didn?t expect to reach the Canadian average. But at least we?re closer,? Dussault said. ?The agreement is fair to both sides. It respects the government?s capacity to pay.?

Gains include some longterm demands, including 16-hour work shifts instead of 24-hour shifts, recognition of teaching duties, and a sixper-cent increase in salaries over the next five years.

It will take a few months to implement the new work schedules, but Dussault expects that 16-hour shifts will be in place at Quebec hospitals by the next summer.

Hospitals had braced for the strike and ensuing shortage of manpower in patient care by holding emergency meetings last week.

The strike action removed 10 per cent of residents, a total of 300 doctors, from the hospital workforce, in all but essential services areas, including emergency and intensive care units.

Many medical students had expressed concerns that training was suffering because the residents had suspended teaching duties as of July as part of their pressure tactics.

Busy physicians in teaching hospitals, who were already overworked, had to take over teaching responsibilities vacated by residents.

Health officials said they were pleased to have reached an agreement in principle.

It underscores the importance of the residents? role in health care, said Natacha Joncas-Boudreau, an aide to Health Minister Yves Bolduc.

?In the end, it?s the patients who are the winners,? she said.

Surgery chief resident Jonathan Spicer, past president of the McGill Medical Residents Association, said that drawing attention to patient care was the whole point of the strike.

?It?s a stressor for physicians who have to pick up the slack,? said Spicer, whose trauma department was not affected, as it is part of essential services.

Quebec is offering the lowest wages in Canada and that affects recruitment and retention of residents, he noted.

?We have great candidates in Quebec looking to go elsewhere because they are paying 50 per cent more elsewhere,? he said. ?Unless we can be competitive, it?s hard to argue.?

cfidelman@ montrealgazette.com

Article source: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/todays-paper/Medical+residents+strike/5422737/story.html

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Source: http://medicaltips.biz/2011/09/19/medical-residents-end-strike/

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