More than 288,000 Quebecers now registered with family physician group

The Quebec government's new strategy, in partnership with the Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec (FMOQ), to give Quebecers easier access to family physicians appears to be working.

In two months, 288,709 more Quebecers have signed up with a family medicine group (GMF), an initiative to facilitate rapid access for nearly 500,000 vulnerable patients.

When the partnership was announced on May 1, the provincial government and FMOQ said their goal was to reach 500,000 registered patients by March 31, 2023, including 250,000 before July 31.

The number of Quebecers still waiting at the Guichet d'accès à un médecin de famille (GAMF) is now 814,830, but the government states "work is continuing" to reach the target set for 2023.

FMOQ adds family doctors are not the only solution when it comes to access, given the shortage of approximately 1,000 general practitioners in Quebec, but it insists it is determined to do its part.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 9, 2022.