Even if the deployment of the Frontline Access Counter (GAP) encounters some problems caused by computer glitches, the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, invites the population to “look over the mountain” and believes that everything will be back to normal soon.
Posted at 10:56 a.m.
“There are small glitches. There are difficult things. […] But the project is progressing very well,” said the minister.
Passing through Montreal on Friday morning for the Première ligne en santé conference bringing together 800 participants, Mr. Dubé reiterated his support for the GAP project.
The Press Thursday reported problems in setting up the HUB, also called the “orchestrator”. This platform aims to facilitate appointment scheduling in Quebec. HUB glitches are currently hampering the deployment of GAPs in certain regions of Quebec.
Minister Dubé is not alarmed by these computer hiccups. He gave the example of the Clic Santé vaccination appointment platform, which had problems in its infancy, but ultimately proved to be “a success”.
A conference participant criticized the minister for having imposed the HUB in an emergency with too rapid a timetable. The Minister replied that in his opinion, there is an urgent need to improve front-line care. “I cannot accept that there are 1 million Quebecers without a family doctor,” said Mr. Dubé. The latter mentioned that the HUB project is a “revolution in making appointments” and that the kind of computer problems currently experienced are “normal”.
Shortage of doctors
In front of a crowd of health stakeholders, Minister Dubé mentioned that he will publish some fifteen health system indicators next week. He hinted that not all of these results will necessarily be very good. But he believes that it is “the right time to publish them” to allow the network to improve.
The minister was also questioned about the current shortage of family doctors in Quebec. This year, 65 family medicine residency positions remained vacant in the province according to data released Thursday by CARMS, the pan-Canadian organization that matches future medical residents for different specialty positions across the country. Minister Dubé acknowledged that in certain regions, such as the Laurentians, “the gap between needs and what is offered is unacceptable”. He said he had a plan for this. In particular, he believes that Bill 11 will allow him to obtain data that will allow him to know “where there is a lack of doctors to add more”.
Getting ready for fall
The Minister said he wanted to continue to focus on interdisciplinarity in health. He warned that Quebec will not be spared from a fourth wave of COVID-19 in the fall. He said he wanted to prepare for it by having as many vaccinators as possible. With Bill 28, which will provide a framework for the lifting of emergency measures in the province, Minister Dubé hopes to be able to keep certain “accommodations” which will allow, in particular, to be able to allow 20 different professionals to continue to lend a hand in vaccination.