MONTREAL -- About 300 medical specialists in Quebec are currently in voluntary or compulsory isolation as the coronavirus outbreak continues to demand more medical services.
Some are doing so under the government’s instructions that required compulsory 14-day isolation for all health personnel returning from abroad after Mar. 12.
Other medical specialists also listened to their union’s recommendation, the Federation des medecins specialistes du Québec (FMSQ). The union went further, asking its members to place themselves in isolation as soon as they returned from vacation even if they returned from abroad before Mar. 12.
On Tuesday, the FMSQ could not confirm whether a large portion of these 300 specialists practice in the same region, or in the same specialty and would risk compromising care in a particular field.
However, the federation is in the habit of sending doctors to meet needs in other regions, when necessary. It does so throughout the year.
FMSQ president Diane Francoeur said Friday: "If there is a shortage of specialists (in one place), we will make it up."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Mar. 17, 2020.
