Seite - 70 - in VULNERABLE - The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19

VULNERABLE70 plus de dignité, pour ne mentionner que ceux-là, malgré la COVID- 19  ? Si la santé publique avait été une priorité et qu’elle n’avait pas été confrontée aux lacunes du réseau de la santé et des services sociaux et au financement défaillant pour mener à bien sa mission, en serait-on arrivé là  ? Au-delà du droit, la prise en considération de ces enjeux relève de l’éthique et du politique. Souhaitons que cette pandémie et ses victimes n’aient pas été vaines, et qu’elles permettent l’émergence d’une société plus juste. Abstract Discussion on the Implementation of the Quebec Public Health Act in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic On March 13, 2020, Quebec declared a public health emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a first since Quebec adopted the Public Health Act in 2002. This chapter first provides background on public health in Quebec, then discusses the implementation of the Public Health Act in the context of the current pandemic. Quebec’s Programme  national  de  santé  publique (Public Health Program) focuses on the social determinants of health and clearly outlines how the most vulnerable populations should be at the centre of these concerns. Yet, the current crisis has affected these populations the most. The pandemic has exacerbated problems that prevailed in the health and social services system prior to COVID-19, and the situation in residen- tial and long-term care centres (CHSLD) is an unfortunate example. Could we have avoided the deterioration of care in these facilities? And could patients in psychiatric institutions, to name just a few, have been treated with more dignity despite COVID-19? If public health had been a priority and had not been faced with the failings of the health and social service system and the lack of funding to properly carry out its mission, would the situation have been the same? Beyond the law, these issues must be discussed in the context of ethics and politics. Let us hope that this pandemic and its victims have not been in vain, and that they will lead to the emergence of a more just society.