More cuts coming to health-care system, but Barrette reforms here to stay, new minister says

Editor's note: After this story was published, the office of Health Minister Danielle McCanncontacted CBCNews Monday and asked to clarify her comments. "Iwanted to say, 'I'm going to better organize'" the administration of health-care services, not "cutting to better organize" those services, McCannsaid in a statement. See the updated story, here.

Quebec's new health minister, Danielle McCann, is promising to cut administrative costs in the system but will largely leave intact the tumultuous reforms implemented by the previous government.

McCannis taking over a health-care network that underwent a major overhaul under her predecessor, Gatan Barrette.

His reforms, which sought to tighten spending and centralize administration, were met with widespread resistance, especiallyfrom nurses forced to work overtime.

McCann said the Coalition AvenirQubecgovernment which was sworn in last weekwould not seek to undo Barrette's changes. But, she added, it would seek to make the health-care system more efficient.

"I'm not talking about cutting services to patients, [but]cutting to better organize in many ways the administration ... to improve the volume of services to patients,"McCanntold CBC's Debra Arbec in a recent interview.

She described Barrette's tenure as one of upheaval and confrontation. Her approach will favour stability and consultation, she said.

"In the last four years, there have so many changes in structures ... now we want to focus on the delivery of care."

Freeze specialists' pay, for now

Premier FranoisLegaultmade a series of ambitious health carepromises during the election campaign, including reducing emergency-room wait times from more than two hours to 90 minutes and reducing wait times to consult a family doctor to 36 hours.

To make these promises a reality, McCannis counting on greater integration within the system: sharing front-line care between doctors, nurses, social worker and other health-care workers.

"We ... have to make sure that the people who have minor health problems don't go to the emergency room," saidMcCann.

Another of Legault'scampaign promises was to tear up a lucrative pay deal the Liberals struck with the province's medical specialists, claiming he could save the province $1 billion in doing so.

McCannsaid the government will sit down with the specialistsbut held out hope a win-win outcome was possible.

While she suggested the specialists would be open to pay cuts in exchange for more resources, she also said their scheduled salaryincreaseswould be frozen pending the results of negotiations.

"What we'll do is just suspend them, to give us the time to discuss with the specialists," she told CBC'sDaybreak Friday.

"We think there is a possibility that we come to a solution that is a win for usand a win for the doctors also."

Open to more private services

McCannalso wouldn't rule out increasing the role of private service providers inseeking to boost the health-care system's efficiency.

"We want to strengthen the public system. The principle of universality and free services ... is very, very important for us," she said.

"Maybe at certain points there will be opportunities with the private sector to have services for patients. But the principlethat it's universal for everybody, and that it's free, will be always be maintained."

The National Assembly is expected to recalled for the first time since the election on Nov. 27. It will sit for two weeks before breaking for the holiday season.