The Service de r茅f茅rence en p茅rinatalit茅 pour les femmes immigrantes de Qu茅bec (SRPFIQ), an organization that supports pregnant immigrant women in Quebec City, Canada, stated that patients do not have adequate access to interpreters during births in hospitals.
鈥淯nderstanding what is happening during a birth is the base,鈥 said SRPFIQ director, Marielle M’Bangha, adding that she is concerned that women are receiving care without giving full consent. M’Bangha wants to see staff at Quebec City鈥檚 University Hospital Center (CHU) de Qu茅bec-Universit茅 Laval, offer interpreting services 鈥渟ystematically鈥 and provide translated versions of consent forms and other documents to patients.
鈥淚t鈥檚 absolutely crucial that consent to care is given. If it鈥檚 unclear what we are signing or why, there鈥檚 a problem when it comes to making a free and informed choice,鈥 M’Bangha said.
According to the Act Respecting Health Services and Social Services in Quebec, English speakers have the right to receive services in English. Social and healthcare services networks can use a different language when delivering services, but access is conditional on the health institution鈥檚 available staff, funding, and organizational resources.
M’Bangha filed a complaint with CHU last year following the experience of an unaccompanied English-speaking mother who did not have access to a hospital-provided interpreter when she underwent an emergency caesarian and a subsequent week-long hospital stay.
Brigitte Wellens, president of the regional access committee to health and social services for English speakers in the Quebec City area, said there is still a lot of work to do. Wellens said staff are not well informed about the rights of English speakers and that users don鈥檛 insist on being provided with interpreters.
According to Wellens, the 36 requests for an English interpreter made in 2024-25 is a testament to the difficulties in accessing care for English speakers, especially given that 17,000 people in the Quebec City region identified themselves as having learned English as a first language in the last Canadian census.
鈥淚t tells me people are not completely aware of their rights, it tells me the establishment, clearly, doesn鈥檛 always make the request for an interpreter when it鈥檚 in English,鈥 Wellness said. She believes government directives on when to provide services in English cause confusion among staff, and some of them opt not to offer it because they don鈥檛 understand users鈥 rights or fear getting in trouble.
According to Wellens, very few documents, including consent forms or pre- and post-procedure instructions, are translated. She believes poor access to care in languages other than French is a public health concern as 鈥減atients will inevitably require more care if they misunderstand a diagnosis or how to care for themselves at home.鈥
CBC (5/14/25) By Marika Wheeler