Moving forward for the future of our labs | APTS focus day brings many different partners together

May 06, 2024

Québec City – With unreasonable timelines, labour shortages and risks of service breaks, the testing services offered by medical labs in the public health and social services system are facing serious difficulties. Today, partners from every horizon will share their perspectives during a focus day on the future of labs organized by the APTS (Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux). The theme chosen for the day is Moving forward for the future of our labs.

“The labour shortage in this critical sector, insufficient enrollment in CEGEPs, and major problems arising from the OPTILAB reform are threatening access to quality testing in public labs,” said APTS president Robert Comeau. “Lab tests are essential for diagnosing serious illnesses and for emergency care. To fix the situation, we need to take swift, collective action to put in place a safety net that will ensure the future of public labs.”

Representatives of service users, the CEGEP system, health and social services workers and medical professionals will join with APTS representatives to gain the broadest possible perspective on the problems facing medical labs and to discuss solutions.

“We need to provide Quebecers with high-quality medical lab services that are fully public and truly accessible,” said Sandra Etienne, APTS vice-president and medical technologist. “The situation is deteriorating year after year, with our labs caught in a labour shortage spiral that creates a work overload and leads to more people leaving. We urgently need to break this vicious circle and turn things around to ensure that much-needed services are available in the short, medium and long term.”

The day’s discussions will lead to a joint statement from partners that will be issued in the next few weeks, so that we can move forward for the future of labs.

The APTS

The APTS (Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux) represents more than 65,000 members who play a key role in ensuring that health and social services institutions run smoothly. Our members provide a wide range of services for all Quebecers, including diagnostic, rehabilitation, nutrition, psychosocial intervention, clinical support, and prevention services.