(Quebec) At the end of patience in its negotiations with family physicians, Quebec will prescribe its own remedy to make their services more accessible. The Minister of Health and Social Services, Christian Dubé, will table a bill on Thursday “aimed at increasing the supply of primary care services by general practitioners and improving the management of this supply”.
“It will be a hand extended to the doctors, you will see”, was satisfied to say Mr. Dubé on his arrival at the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers, Wednesday.
However, the president of the Federation of general practitioners of Quebec (FMOQ), Dr.r Louis Godin said he was “worried” and “surprised” by the Legault government’s decision to table a bill at this stage.
“It’s not a trivial gesture […] and we find that paradoxical while at the same time, [le gouvernement] expresses this desire to want to negotiate, come to an understanding, collaborate and find solutions together, ”he lamented in an interview.
“We fear that the bill will include measures of obligation, then of coercion if we do not do this or we do not agree … That, we have said from the beginning, is the worst approach to take, and on the ground, it will be very poorly received, ”he warned.
The FMOQ has not had any meeting with the Ministry for “at least three weeks”.
In his opening speech for the new parliamentary session on October 19, Prime Minister François Legault warned that his government could come to this. “I have always thought that it was better to come to an understanding with the doctors, but if necessary, we will not hesitate to impose a conclusion, because Quebecers expect to be taken care of and then to have front-line services within a reasonable timeframe, ”he said. He added that he was starting to “get impatient”, while the negotiations have lasted for three years.
At the end of October, Mr. Legault maintained that he was ready to table a bill to allow Christian Dubé to communicate to the CEOs of the CISSS and the CIUSSS the identity of the doctors who do not follow at least 1000 patients. . The Prime Minister had previously revealed that he had obtained a list identifying these doctors from data from the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ). The FMOQ had threatened to sue the government. Minister Dubé then qualified the Prime Minister’s comments.
This is the second law that has targeted family physicians in recent years. Under the Couillard government, Minister Gaétan Barrette passed Bill 20, which provides for financial penalties for family physicians who do not meet certain targets in terms of access to services. These penalties were ultimately never applied.
“With a CAQ government, all Quebecers will have a family doctor and will be able to consult him or a specialized nurse practitioner, within a maximum of 36 hours, within 4 years,” promised François Legault in 2018. However, access to services is still as difficult: 80% of Quebecers have a family doctor. The waiting list has swelled in recent years and now includes 800,000 names.
The government has also lowered the bar in the strategic plan of the Ministry of Health and Social Services, while the aim is to provide access to a family doctor to 85% of Quebecers by 2023. In the same plan, we have withdrawn the Caquist promise to a maximum of 36 hours for a medical consultation.