The psychological harassment of FPs by government

Psychological harassment at work is defined by the Quebec Act respecting labour standards. The conduct thus recognized must be vexatious and repeated or serious, be hostile or unwanted by the employee, undermine his dignity or his physical or psychological integrity, and create a harmful working environment. We must “call a spade a spade.” It is clear that since 2015 all these criteria have been met. Family physicians collectively suffer psychological harassment by the Quebec government and the opposition. Although their status as self-employed workers prevents them from being protected by this Act and from filing an individual complaint with the Commission des normes, de l'énergie, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST), the government is acting de facto as an employer by determining the working conditions of doctors and by applying special laws. Psychological harassment occurs when the health minister, premier, member of parliament or senior officials publicly spread prejudices, myths, falsehoods, half-truths, alternative facts, or omit important facts about the doctors. It is peddled in the media. Public opinion is thus deceived, misled, frustrated. The dignity of the profession is damaged. There is psychological harassment when these elected officials falsely suggest that there is no shortage of family doctors in Quebec and that they are the only ones responsible for waiting at the access desk for a family doctor. Read: Dr. Jabir Jassam: Who else – other than FPs – can they blame, Melissa? There is psychological harassment when the government accuses general practitioners of having little presence in FMGs (family medicine groups), but does not take into account tasks not billable, parental leave, sick leave, and all those who work in hospitals with specific medical activities imposed by the same government, nor accounting that a quarter of physicians in Quebec are over 60 years old. There is psychological harassment when the state, which always demands more from doctors, turns a blind eye to poor access to medical information, deficient information technologies and the lack of professional resources to relieve family physicians of their responsibilities. There is psychological harassment when, despite the exemplary collaborative and organizational efforts of family physicians during the pandemic, they are not thanked for these efforts but on the contrary singled out for not doing their fair share. This psychological harassment generates a feeling of alienation from work, a deficit of empathy, a loss of meaning and a feeling of absurdity. What was at the beginning a passion, a vocation, turns for many into a job that we can not wait to finish to join our family. Repeated devaluation The Quebec Physician Assistance Program could undoubtedly bear witness to the extent to which the pressure, the overload of work, but also the repeated devaluation of family physicians, affect their psychological integrity and make many workplaces harmful. We see this in the ambient cynicism, the demotivation at work, the withdrawal into oneself of colleagues and the avoidance by residents of this profession which is constantly publicly crushed and unrecognized. We must demand an end to this repeated denigration and this straw man fallacy by which elected demagogues paint a false and unsuccessful portrait of the family doctor, a myth they then vehemently attack. Only a climate of respect, recognition, listening and a real understanding by the government of the issues encountered in the field can stimulate renewed motivation among family physicians and make residents return to this profession. Otherwise, everything is doomed to failure. Originally ran on our sister brand in Quebec, Profession Santé. Translated from French.

The psychological harassment of FPs by government

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