The Minister of Health and Social Services Christian Dubé presented his plan on Tuesday morning to implement the “changes necessary for a more human and more efficient network”. The 79-page document reports on a network weakened by the COVID-19 pandemic and faced with many challenges, including the shortage of personnel, growing health care expenses and the aging of the population.
Citing the recommendations of the Rochon and Clair commissions, as well as the Ménard and Castonguay reports, Minister Dubé’s plan makes access to the front line a priority.
All Quebecers must have access “to a family doctor or a health professional” and be able to “benefit from real care, within family medicine groups, for consultations within a reasonable timeframe”.
The 36-hour deadline for obtaining a consultation with a care team no longer seems to be the government’s ultimate target. The Legault government refers to it, but specifies that “this plan is a continuation” of this commitment. Rather, it refers to “reasonable timeframes”.
To reduce the list of patients waiting for a family doctor (945,000 people), Quebec is relying on interdisciplinarity within family medicine groups (FMGs).
Minister Christian Dubé also wants to promote “better management of doctors’ schedules so that they can take care of patients and free up time to follow up” on them. The “access to certain data, marked out in the bill [11] will enable him to achieve this goal, is it indicated in the plan.
Orphan patients can turn to the first-line access counter, already in place in Bas-Saint-Laurent. “Eventually, this service will be accessible everywhere in Quebec”, it is written.
Countering the staff shortage
Quebec says it is determined to improve the working conditions of health professionals. To achieve this, he intends to set up “self-management of schedules in each establishment”. This solution, used in particular at the Jewish General Hospital, is often cited as an example.
The government reiterates its commitment to “eliminate” mandatory overtime from “routine management of operations”. To achieve this, massive recruitment campaigns and accelerated training of health professionals are continuing.
Rather than freeing itself from private personnel placement agencies, Quebec now wants to “reduce the use of independent labour”.
Minister Christian Dubé had already asked health establishments in the greater Montreal and Quebec City regions to submit a reduction plan to him last December. Some CIUSSSs and CISSSs have set ambitious targets, but had to delay the implementation of their plan due to the fifth wave.
Making access to data one of his hobbyhorses, Health Minister Christian Dubé says he wants to modernize the legislative framework on this subject.
Further details will follow.