Nearly 1 million Quebecers could return to waiting list for doctor if agreement isn't reached
There are growing concerns that hundreds of thousands of Quebecers could end up back on the long wait list for a family doctor.
An agreement between the province and the Quebec Federation of General Practitioners gives patients without a family doctor access to primary care services, but it expires at the end of May.
Health Minister Christian Dubé was on the defensive Thursday about the matter, insisting the GAP, the front-line portal that gives patients without a family doctor access to primary care, is a permanent measure.
The deal includes an annual premium of $120 for each patient enrolled through the portal.
Dubé said he's prepared to renegotiate with the Quebec Federation of General Practitioners, but there's no guarantee they'll reach a deal by the deadline.
"He's basically put all of his eggs into one basket and left this negotiation to the last second," said Liberal health critic André Fortin.
Fortin said since 2022, nearly 1 million Quebecers signed up through the GAP for a spot in a Group Family Medicine (GMF) clinic.
So far it's unclear if those patients will still have access as of June.
"They thought this was forever. They didn't think it was, 'Oh, I'll have access for a year and if the health minister's not able to renegotiate this with the family physicians, then I'll go back on the waitlist.' That's not the deal that was made to them," said Fortin.
Dubé said he wants to determine if the system improves access to care, adding there won't be more money if there isn't more access.
"The doctors are very professional, and I think they will respect that deal," he said.
The doctors' federation, however, isn't sure, saying ending the $120 premium could risk a reduction in access to care.
"We won't have all the manpower. We'll have to decide what we do with the staff that we hired in one month -- if we continue to hire them, if we don't have the money anymore," explained FMOQ vice-president Dr. Guillaume Charbonneau.
In the meantime, the federation said affected GPs are unsure whether they should continue to open appointments beyond June.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus survives vote calling for his ouster
Greg Fergus survived a vote to oust him as House of Commons Speaker on Tuesday, but with close to half of MPs expressing a loss of confidence in him, he faces a precarious path forward in maintaining order in Parliament.
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
Teen dies after being hit by train in N.W. Calgary
A teenager has died after being hit by a train in northwest Calgary on Tuesday afternoon.
Black bear kebabs make family sick with parasitic worms
It was supposed to be a celebration, but one family’s unique meal of black bear meat sent several members to the hospital instead.
'It's his vacation too': Jimmy the baby goat joins 2-week road trip across Canada
After Jimmy the baby goat was shunned by his mother, a New Brunswick man took the kid on a two-week road trip across Canada.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there’s a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.