Posted at 7:00 a.m.
Even if the step to get there is steep, the Federation of General Practitioners of Quebec (FMOQ) and the Ministry of Health remain convinced that they can reach the target of removing 250,000 Quebecers from the One-stop access to a family doctor in here on July 31.
In response to the publication of the most recent data on the queue for the Guichet d’accès à un médecins de famille (GAMF), where a record number of 1,088,945 Quebecers are now registered, the two organizations wanted to specify that these figures did not give the whole picture.
It is that approximately 26,000 Quebecers have been registered with GMF since the entry into force of the new agreement with the FMOQ, revealed the deputy director general of access, local services and medical staff at the ministry. of Health and Social Services (MSSS), Martin Forgues, in an interview with The Press.
This figure had not been made public so far since his teams were concentrating precisely on reaching the target, he said. “You will see it, it will increase gradually, and I have no doubt that the agreement will be achieved,” added the assistant general manager.
Data made public through the Dashboard – performance of the health and social services network, broadcast on Tuesday showed only the number of patients registered directly with a family doctor, ie 32,952 for two months.
However, Quebec is betting on a new mechanism, namely registration with FMGs, groups of doctors and various health professionals, to achieve its target of withdrawing 250,000 Quebecers from the GAMF by July 31.
A blitz to come
Deputy CEO Martin Forgues says he is well aware that there are still at least 224,000 Quebecers to register with GMF by July 31 to get there, but he is confident. A registration blitz will also take place next weekend.
It’s a vacation period when people have been infected with COVID, so we’re in a context where there are certain constraints, but we have confirmation from all the CEOs that by July 31, the 250,000 nouns [des patients à inscrire] have been sent to the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec.
Martin Forgues, Deputy Director General of Access, Local Services and Medical Resources at the MSSS
Same story at the FMOQ. “According to the echoes we have on the ground, we are sure that this target will be reached or exceeded on July 31,” insists their communications director, Jean-Pierre Dion.
On Tuesday, the leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec, Dominique Anglade, criticized the Legault government for taking a shortcut by directing orphan patients to a GMF, while she promises a family doctor for all Quebecers.
“Yes, it’s proven in the literature that being followed by the same family doctor is excellent for your health, but basically, what people want is to have access to a family doctor,” said Martin Forgues.