The Optilab centralization project leaves Montrealers hanging
OPTILAB is a project to reorganize and centralize medical biology laboratories across the province.
Quebec is nothing if not bureaucratic. Sometimes, this can be an advantage. But more often than not, this desire to create and maintain a rigid hierarchy with the promise of efficiency, humanity and cost effectiveness falls far far short of the planned destination.
Grouping hospital labs is the latest in a string of healthcare notions that “seemed like a good idea at the time”.
Centralizing hospital labs is not a new idea. Back in September of 2016, the Montreal Gazette reported on former Liberal health minister, Gaétan Barrette, and his push forward with a cost-cutting centralization of lab services known as Optilab. At the time, the concern was about the reduction of lab technicians that would result. And a shortage in lab personnel did happen and backlogs became even more backlogs, especially worrying with blood tests for life-threatening diseases. In fact, Radio-Canada reported delays of up to 10 days in lab analyses of leukaemia and other blood diseases — tests that should be done within 48 hours! What’s more, the Radio-Canada report found that more than 400 specimens were overdue for protein analysis to detect multiple myeloma. Some had been pending for six months, while the maximum recommended delay is two weeks.
Another issue is transportation. With all these blood tests being sent to hub labs — 70% in fact — the likelihood of error, lost or ruined samples is extremely high. This point was made by Doris Levasseur Bourbeau, President of l’Ordre des technologues professionnels du Québec (OTPQ) (Professional Order of Medical Technologists of Quebec) to the Montreal Gazette back in 2016.
One might ask: what are the doctors saying? After all, they must have noticed that analyses weren’t getting done. They must have been getting worried.
Yes, they did notice. They were getting worried. They still are. And this is what one is saying:
Dr. Christian Couture, Head of Pathology at l’Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec (Heart and Lung Institute), told CBC News just a few months ago that while the Optilab system may have started out as a solution, it quickly declined to a problem. Dr. Couture talks of samples lost in transit; samples that were no longer viable because of tardy delivery; results that were too late, therefore no longer clinically relevant; the inability to avoid the spread of infection because of delays; and more.
In fact, in 2020, medical experts were reported in Le Devoir as calling it, “the worst health reform we’ve seen in Québec”.
O Positive saw this coming and we made our plans, while still keeping convenience and affordability in mind. We made an exclusive deal with a private lab that grants us affordability when compared to other private labs and greater flexibility when offering appointments to clients. Results are received within 12 hours. Citizens still have the right to request hospital analysis but we quickly realized that this actually becomes expensive when you consider that customers are sometimes paying for nothing… no results as well as lost or destroyed tests.
Call us for your in-home blood and medical testing. 1-833-857-0007.
