Quebec has hired 747 more nurses and transferred 1,976 to full-time status

The provincial government has set a goal calling for the health network to “benefit from the services” of 4,300 more nurses.

Article content

Quebec’s efforts to recruit more nurses into the public health system appear to be paying off, provincial Health Minister Christian Dubé said Thursday.

Article content

In a statement, the minister noted that since September 23, when bonuses were announced for nurses who joined or re-entered the public network, 747 nurses had been hired. Ninety-three had been retired and 654 had worked in the private sector.

Meanwhile, 1,976 nurses who work part-time in the public system have become full-time workers and “discussions” continue with 3,262 other potential candidates.

The provincial government has set a goal that requires the health care network to “benefit from the services” of 4,300 additional nurses and 1,200 auxiliary nurses.

The recruiting drive launched in September included a budget of $ 1 billion in bonuses. The province also hopes its barrage of hires will reduce the need for mandatory overtime, a major problem with nursing unions, as well as the use of private agency nurses.