Quebec's vaccine chief defends his past management of health authority where elderly were mistreated

The government official in charge of Quebec's COVID-19 vaccination program says he knew nothing about the mistreatment of seniors at a facility that was under his authority.

Daniel Par is currently away from his post at theCISSS de Chaudire-Appalaches to oversee the largest vaccination effort in modern Quebec history.

On Friday, theChaudire-Appalaches health authority released a report detailing how residents at a private seniors residence under its jurisdiction theManoir Liverpool inLvis wereunderfed, infrequently changed and bathed, and given expired medication for years.

The report found that residents"were subject to at least two types of mistreatment: physical and organizational."

Quebec's minister for seniors, Marguerite Blais, had publicly called on Par to respond to the report. Par issued a statement on Saturday.

He said monitoring systems had failed "to detect the mistreatment that was taking place at Manor Liverpool," adding that had he known, he would have "acted sooner."

He said the treatment of the residents was "totally unacceptable and extremely sad." He also said he made sureno new patients were admitted to the Manoir Liverpool after Radio-Canada revealed allegations of neglect last spring.

"As director of the CISSS, I ordered the investigation into Manoir Liverpool when I saw that malicious practices were taking place in the residence," he said in the statement.

"In addition, a monitoring team has been set up to regularly visit the residence to ensure the quality of services."

Par refused a follow-up request for an interview. The Quebec coroner is also conducting an investigation into several non-COVID related deaths at the residence.

On Saturday, Blais said she was shocked by the findings of the report and called on all regional health boards in the province to submit a plan to monitor the quality of care provided at facilities under their jurisdiction.

Blais saidregional health boards need to be held accountable for what goes on at both private and public seniors' residences.

She gave them until Feb. 26 to submit their plans.