Quebec’s announcement that it will impose a health care tax on unvaccinated residents has sparked fierce debate as the province seeks to save its crumbling healthcare system amid the latest wave of the coronavirus.
The Canadian province’s prime minister, François Legault, said Tuesday that those who chose not to get vaccinated would pay a “health contribution,” acknowledging growing friction in the province as the unvaccinated consume a larger share of scarce resources. doctors.
The Quebec news site La Presse warned the tax could target vulnerable members of society who often lack the necessary resources or information to access vaccines. Minorities, including black and indigenous residents, also have a long history of discrimination in the province’s health system.
“They should not become the scapegoats of the fed up collective,” the newspaper wrote.
But La Presse concluded that the tax was a necessary tool in the fight against the virus.
“In this exceptional context, it can be explained asking unvaccinated people to pay a reasonable price. It is a question of equity. Everyone must contribute to the war effort ”.
The province has not released a timeline on when it could impose the tax, the first of its kind in North America, or how much it could collect. Austria, which implemented a similar tax in November, requires residents over the age of 14 to pay € 3,600 (US $ 4,100) every three months that are not vaccinated.
Canada’s anti-vaccine movement has made headlines in recent months with protests outside hospitals and has sparked frustration across the country.
But experts cautioned against reactionary policies that undermine access to healthcare.
“Even antisocial, hateful, misinformed and ignorant people have rights”, wrote Globe and Mail health columnist André Picard. “In a public health regime, patients must be treated according to medical needs. Period. There is no room for moral judgments or financial penalties. You don’t abandon your principles because someone else’s actions (or inaction) upset you ”.
The announcement seems to have had some impact: Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé, Announced Wednesday that first dose appointments had increased over the previous 48 hours. But the Canadian Civil Liberties Association questioned whether the policy could withstand constitutional challenges.
“Allowing the government to impose fines on those who disagree with government-recommended medical treatment is a deeply disturbing proposition,” said Cara Zwibel, acting general counsel for the CCLA, in an emailed statement.
“We have universal public health care in Canada … Some essential services, such as basic health care for those who are sick, transcend such individual choices.”
TO recent survey found that Quebecers were consistently more willing to implement strict vaccine mandates than other regions of the country. The province also has some of the strictest lockdown measures, including a night curfew.
The decision to financially punish residents marks a marked departure from other provinces, which in the past sought to reward those who were hesitant to get vaccinated.
Last summer, more than 150,000 Albertans enrolled in a program that gave recipients of the first dose a gift card for $ 100 Canadian ($ 80), a program that likely cost the provinces more than 10 million Canadian dollars. Prime Minister Jason Kenney said Tuesday that his government had no plans to implement a tax.
As the debate over the tax unfolds, Health Minister Dubé warned that next week will be the most difficult for the province, as hundreds more are expected to require hospitalization, which will further lead to the system. of Quebec’s health to breaking point.
“We are very close to a point of no return,” he said.
www.theguardian.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism