The Quebec federation representing family doctors is getting ready to make its case against Bill 20 in Quebec City.
Health minister Gaetan Barrette says the legislation would give every Quebecer access to a General Practitioner, but doctors say it would, instead, have a negative impact on the quality of care.
The general practitioners federation (FMOQ) believes Bill 20 is not the best way to improve healthcare in Quebec, and will say so Thursday at public hearings into the topic.
Family doctors said multiple governments have tried to improve healthcare, but have yet to implement any of the recommendations they have made, such as reducing the amount of hours family doctors must spend in hospitals and allowing them to devote more time to their own practices.
Right now family doctors in Quebec spend about 40 percent of their time in a hospital setting, while the FMOQ would like this to be reduced to 20 percent.
"We are sure that the quality of care will be less because with the mathemical approach with the quotas and the number of patients to see each day, it's not a good way to be a family physician," said Dr. Louis Godin, the head of the FMOQ.
He added family physicians would also like to be able to keep time reserved for 'last-minute' patients, those who call the day they need urgent medical care, so those patients would not be forced to head to CLSC or hospital Emergency Rooms.
The FMOQ also said the prospects of Bill 20 could dissuade young doctors from becoming a family doctor, pointing to the impending walkout planned for March 30 by medical students from McGill University, the University of Sherbrooke and L'Université de Montreal.
