SOS Outaouais: coalition formed to press provincial government for health care improvements

SOS Outaouais: coalition formed to press provincial government for health care improvements

A new effort by a coalition of groups to improve the health care situation in the region, called SOS Outaouais, was launched on Thursday (June 6) in Gatineau.

The group’s spokesperson Jean Pigeon explained that the idea was based on the SOS Montfort movement, where Franco-Ontarians rallied to stop the closure of the Montfort Hospital in Ottawa back in the 1990s. Pigeon, who is also the director of the Gatineau Health Foundation, explained that by bringing together interested parties such as doctors, health researchers and citizens, they would be able to advocate more effectively for lasting improvements to the regional health care system, which has been plagued for years by short-staffing as well as underfunding from the provincial government.

Pigeon explained that currently the members of the coalition include several high-ranking doctors within the local network who have previously spoke out about the situation in the Outaouais, as well as researchers like Action Santé Outaouais. He said that citizens or groups willing to join or donate can do so through their website.

The full interview with Pigeon (9m) is available here.