The state of health emergency allows the health network to spend too much to protect Quebecers during the two years of the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic spending event report, released Tuesday, found the bill to be $ 15 billion.
The Public Health Act requires the Minister of Health and Social Services to make such detailed report public, within three months of the end of the state of health emergency.
This large report of several hundred pages sets out all the costs incurred. Due to the health emergency, the law allowed the government to make the necessary expenditures, without delay or formality, and without calls for tenders.
Total total spending amounts to more than $ 18.8 billion between March 2020 and March 2022. However, $ 3.85 billion should be deducted from this amount, which equates to a decrease in regular health spending due to slowing activities. not COVID-19.
The institutions that put their hands in their pockets and the costs reported were the Ministry of Health and Social Services, health institutions, the Center for Government Acquisitions and the Société québécoise des infrastructures.
More than 4,500 contracts were concluded in the context of a health emergency
Between March 13, 2020 and March 23, 2022, the government concluded more than 4,500 contracts, mostly by mutual agreement, without calls for tenders.
This includes purchasing supplies, protective equipment, medicines or to carry out construction work. The total is $ 6 billion.
Between March 2020 and March 2022, the state of health emergency was renewed 115 times in Quebec, with the same number of mandates adopted.
More details to come.
Source: Radio-Canada
