Health Minister Gaetan Barrette had to face his former colleagues during public hearings about changes to healthcare in Quebec, and he did not appear happy about the confrontation.
Representatives from the Quebec Federation of Medical Specialists (FMSQ), which Barrette led for seven years before being elected as a Liberal MNA, testified Tuesday at public hearings into Bill 20.
That legislation would establish quotas for doctors, and penalize them if they do not see enough patients.
Barrette has said in the past that doctors and specialists are not efficient and could easily care for more patients, saying each doctor in Quebec could handle up to 1,000 patients -- nearly double the provincial average of 564 patients.
Doctors and their representative groups have, across the board, opposed Bill 20, with many saying that Barrette's experience as a radiologist does not accurately reflect the challenges experienced by doctors that have more one-on-one time with those under their care.
During Tuesday's hearings Barrette seemed to be encouraging the FMSQ to say general practitioners could handle more patients.
Diane Francoeur of the FMSQ countered that Barrette was not being realistic.
"Obviously what we realize today is that the Health Minister has no intention of solving the problem of accessibility," said Francoeur.
"What did he say about the problem of operating room time? Nothing. What did he say about access to ultrasounds? Nothing."
There are several more days of public hearings scheduled to discuss Bill 20, with the Quebec General Practitioners Federation (FMOQ) still to testify.
