Of the $19 billion that the pandemic cost the health network, more than $5.2 billion was injected for financial incentives and $6 billion for 4,505 contracts without competition.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) tabled its report on the health emergency and the COVID-19 pandemic in the National Assembly on Tuesday.
In addition to reviewing the chronology of the events that shook the planet in the spring of 2020, the MSSS reveals the amounts that have been disbursed so far due to the pandemic.
The largest share of the cake was injected into the implementation of financial measures such as bonuses for nurses, amounting to $5.2 billion. A similar amount was allocated for salary costs and network operating costs.
“Total gross expenditures amount to more than $18.8 billion” and they were “engaged from March 13, 2020 to March 31, 2022”, underlines the document.
Protective measures and infection control cost $2.5 billion while Quebec paid $982 million for vaccination and antivirals against COVID-19.
The addition of beneficiary attendants and managers in CHSLDs, as well as public health resources amounted to nearly $1 billion.
4,505 contracts for $6 billion
The documents made public yesterday confirm that Quebec used the health emergency decree published on March 13, 2020, no less than 4,505 contracts totaling $6 billion.
“All these contracts were granted based on the health emergency. We are confident and the AMP is there to do its job,” said the President of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel, reassured that they have all been granted according to the rules of the art.
These contracts were awarded by the CHU de Québec, the Center for Government Acquisitions, the health and social services network, the Société québécoise des infrastructures and the MSSS.
This amount includes the $3 billion granted by the CHU de Québec, which were announced last March.
At the time, our Bureau of Inquiry and Parliament revealed that the CAQ was the over-the-counter champion, even before the pandemic. In total since the start of its mandate, the CAQ government had spent $17.4 billion, the report revealed.
The contracts given under the health emergency were for the purchase of personal protective equipment, medical supplies, human resources, real estate, construction works, building maintenance, vaccination, screening, technologies, then for storage and transportation.
Contracts that remain
Despite the end of the health emergency, the MSSS confirms that more than 225 contracts will remain in effect until December 31, 2022 or for a maximum period of five years. These are mainly storage or transport contracts.
“More than 200 contracts were awarded by the MSSS under section 123 of the LSP, for a total value of more than $130 million,” the report indicates.
Reference-www.journaldequebec.com