RPCU Raises Concerns Over New Directives From Santé Québec
The Regroupement provincial des comités des usagers du Québec (RPCU) is raising alarms over new directives issued by Santé Québec regarding the composition and election process of user committees within health institutions. According to the organization, these directives were adopted without consultation and could limit the ability of user representatives to defend the rights of patients and service users.
The RPCU argues that the new rules centralize decision-making and reduce the autonomy of the committees, which operate across the province with approximately 2,800 volunteers. These committees play a role in representing users’ needs and ensuring that their rights are respected within the health and social services network.
In published documents outlining an implementation schedule, Santé Québec sets out a standardized framework that, according to the RPCU, undermines the independence of these committees and alters their longstanding governance practices.
“According to the RPCU, Santé Québec’s approach shows a lack of respect for the thousands of volunteers who have worked for years to uphold user rights,” said RPCU executive director Sylvie Tremblay. She added that the new directives could signal future setbacks in how user rights are supported within the network.
The organization also expressed concern that the directives reinterpret the Loi sur la gouvernance des services de santé et des services sociaux in a way that diminishes the role of user committees beyond university hospital settings. Tremblay stated that this shift has “broken trust” with many members of the network.
The RPCU is calling on Santé Québec to return to what it describes as the core mission of the new agency: delivering a human-centred and efficient health system. The group argues that recent changes risk moving decision-making further away from the everyday realities faced by users and their representatives.
