Paediatric societies call for Quebec to allow parents on child medical flights

The reason parentless flights are especially damaging to native people is due to “intergenerational trauma from the forced removal of children during the residential school system and during the tuberculosis epidemic,” Farrell said.

“(Children) suffer from the absence of their parent,” she added. “Not just during transport, but in the period following transport when we are taking charge of a patient’s care and making decisions without their parents being present.”

Quebec is the only jurisdiction in the country that routinely denies parents the ability to fly with their sick kids, she said.

The paediatric society is calling on the Quebec government to change its policy on air flights and to prioritize space on the plane for a parent or relative to accompany their child.

“I think what we are looking at is rejigging the space (on the place) that’s required for one person to sit,” Farrell said. “I think it’s doable because in other provinces it’s completely doable.”

In January, Quebec Health Minister Gaetan Barrette denied the policy is discriminatory toward Inuit and First Nations and noted the government picks up the bill to fly parents to be at their children’s bedsides.

He said at the time Quebec’s air ambulances are designed to make multiple stops to pick up patients, which leads to a lack of space on the aircraft and added a plane’s medical equipment doesn’t leave much room for seats, and those need to be reserved for medical personnel.

In response to the Canadian and Quebec paediatric societies call for change, a spokeswoman for Barrette said via email he was “reflecting” on the issue.

Asked whether the government’s position had changed, spokeswoman Catherine Audet simply repeated her one-line response: “Our reflections continue on the subject.”

Farrell said the costs associated with renovating the aircraft to allow room for parents would be defrayed by the savings in paying for commercial flights after their children arrive in hospital.

“We will maintain pressure so that (the issue) really gets looked at by (Barrette),” she said. “So that at a minimum, changing the policy is top priority and then making the change a reality is the last step.”

Giuseppe Valiante, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Paediatric societies call for Quebec to allow parents on child medical flights

What's Trending