After Quebec revealed the identity of the so-called “top gun” who will lead the province's new health agency, Santé Québec, there is a mix of optimism and skepticism about her appointment.
Geneviève Biron, who formerly led an empire of private health-care clinics, comes with a lot of experience and is now one of the centrepieces of Quebec's big plan to reform the health system.
The new agency created by Health Minister Christian Dubé will oversee all of the network's operations.
Quebec says Biron has completely divested from Biron Health Group to avoid conflicts of interest.
“She no longer has clients. She has to serve the whole population of Quebec,” said Caroline Senneville, the president of the CSN, a union representing tens of thousands of health workers.
She worries Biron might bring her private sector mindset to the public sector.
“There's no money to be made with homeless people that have mental health issues, or the children of the DPJ, or Indigenous people in the north. It's going to be really a change of perspective,” Senneville told Global News.
Patient rights advocate Paul Brunet is open to a new approach.
“At this point, can it get worse? Let's try it. I want to try it,” he said excitedly.
Brunet says after 25 years of watching reform attempts fail, a more business-style, results-driven approach is worth a shot.
“We need results. This is the kind of approach a lot of private enterprises go for. What are the results you can achieve for me? If you don't achieve results, maybe you're part of the problem,” he said.
Public policy professor Marie-Soleil Tremblay is encouraged that the private clinic tycoon is entering the job because of the desire to serve, not for the base salary of just under $600,000.
“This is somebody with a reputation who really doesn't necessarily need this in her life, has accepted to do it,” Tremblay said.
Tremblay does have a bit of concern about Biron only signing a three-year contract.
“Three years is quite a short amount of time to be able to get to a point where we'll see significant changes that are made in a way that is durable and respectful of the people within these organizations,” Tremblay said.
Brunet says if Biron doesn't start delivering results in one year, his optimism may turn to skepticism.
“If we start seeing something getting better, waiting lists being diminished, then we're going to have a feeling that she's going to do something great in the coming years,” he said. “If not, I won't feel good”
She has a lot of people to try to convince to get on board, and an ocean of pessimism to navigate.
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