More Quebecers turning to private health care: poll

An IV pole is seen in a room in the emergency ward at The Montreal Children's Hospital on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024 in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

More Quebecers are turning to the private health care network, according to a survey published Tuesday in the Journal de Québec.

Whether it's for vaccination or surgery, over the past five years, the rate of Quebecers opting for the private network for medical services has risen by 17 per cent, the poll found.

Paying for the service themselves or with insurance, 42 per cent of respondents said they had used services not covered by the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) over the past five years, compared with 25 per cent in 2019.

The results of the Léger survey also showed that 39 per cent of people believe that the quality of health care in the public network is lower than in the private sector, while eight per cent believe that the quality is better in the public sector.

The survey was conducted between Sept. 27 and 29 among 1,002 Quebecers.

It is not possible to calculate a margin of error for an online sample, but the usual margin of error for a sample of this size would be 3.1 per cent 19 times out of 20.

The pandemic has often been cited in recent years to explain the deterioration in access to health care.

However, 56 per cent of Quebecers think that health care services are worse than they were before 2019.

Only five per cent think things are better, and 23 per cent think they are the same.

"We are very aware of the difficulties in accessing care, which is why improving access is our top priority,’' said Health Minister Chrisitan Dubé on X.

He cited measures his government has put in place to improve access to care, including the Guichet d'accès à la première ligne (GAP) to make an appointment with a family doctor.

He also pointed out that certain professionals, such as pharmacists and specialist nurse practitioners, have been given greater powers to provide better care.

Dubé also mentioned that the health care network is temporarily using specialist medical centres to make up for lost time in surgeries.

The survey shows that Quebecers are divided on this issue.

Some 38 per cent of respondents said that the use of private clinics should be encouraged, while 37 per cent were opposed.

A quarter of those polled refrained from answering this question.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 15, 2024.

-- The Canadian Press health content is funded through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for editorial choices