Mr. Dubé, Minister of Health,
I am a 65-year-old citizen, in good health, retired and who does not visit emergency rooms or any other specialty.
Except yesterday, because I had an appointment with a pulmonologist. I have a little concern about sleep apnea. I didn’t wait too long, maybe a year at the most. I arrive at my appointment early, like any good patient, I see the secretary, who asks me to fill out a questionnaire and go to the waiting room. I fill out my questionnaire and, a few minutes later, I am seen by a respiratory therapist, who doesn’t ask me any questions, weighs me, measures my height and neck, and asks me to return to the waiting room to consult the pulmonologist. A few minutes later, the pulmonologist sees me, reviews with me the main questions that I had answered correctly on paper, quickly examines my throat, explains the procedure for measuring sleep apnea, it lasts 5-7 minutes. So far, everything is fine, the service is fast and correct.
How come, Mr. Minister, the respiratory therapist didn’t do what the pulmonologist did himself, that is, review the questionnaire, examine my throat and explain the procedure to me? She still has a DEC with an obligation to be part of the OPIQ? And the pulmonologist, who studied for an eternity, will be available for more important cases? The work of each of these professionals is neither interesting nor stimulating. There is lost skill, imminent demotivation, loss of time among patients. I suppose that, in all specialties, there is this kind of loss of skills and time. We have to look at it, Mr. Minister, reviewing the ways of doing things will be beneficial for the system, right? And putting health professionals in the right place with their full skills is work, I know!