No family doctor? One phone number will soon connect you to health services in Montreal
"Gradually," is the word the president and director-general of Montreal's South-Central CIUSSS used several times to explain how a new primary care network will be deployed for people in Montreal who don't have a family doctor.
Sonia Belanger's cautious tone reflects the complexity of the ambitious project, which will officially launch in April.
Its success will depend on a sound technical setup and most of all on finding enough health professionals in Montreal, especially nurses, to answer calls and consult with patients.
"I'm convinced it will improve access. No system is perfect but I hope it's several steps in the right direction. We'll adjust as we go,” Belanger said as she provided a sneak peek at exactly how the new hub is expected to operate when it officially launches in April.
Of the 1.8 million people residing in Montreal, nearly 800,000 of them are without a family doctor. Only half have put their names on the approximately two-year waiting list.
That waiting list can be accessed online or by phone and is known in French as the 'Guichet d'access a un medecin de famille' (GAMF).
This new project is broadening the role of the GAMF and will transform it into five ‘guichets d'acces a la premiere ligne,' or GAPs: five front-line services hubs that will be operated by the CIUSSS in each of Montreal's five health territories.
ONE PHONE NUMBER, ONE CALL
It might sound a little confusing, so to make it simple for people to use, there will be just one number to call for any non-emergency issue, like "an earache for example, or a vision problem,” Belanger said.
"We don't want it to be complicated. People don't always know which CIUSSS is in their territory so for the population there will be one unique phone number,” Belanger said, that will be publicized at a later date.
A nurse will answer the call, gather some basic information and will then transfer the person to the GAP in their area.
"There at the access point, there will be an evaluation with a professional on the phone. They can sign up for a family doctor and they can ask for help if they need it,” Belanger said.
WHAT KINDS OF HEALTH SERVICES WILL BE AVAILABLE?
"Depending on the person's needs and priority we can give access within 48 hours to a health professional,” said Belanger.
She said the referral would be "either to a doctor - but if there's no doctor then, depending on the situation, they can have access to a nurse practitioner, a nurse, a social worker or even a pharmacist.”
Frequently she said, people just need to renew a prescription, but without a family doctor to turn to they don't know how to go about it.
"Pharmacists in many circumstances could renew,” Belanger said.
It will take time before they'll be able to integrate other professionals and services into the mix, like psychologists or physiotherapists, support that GPs say they need if they're to take on new patients.
Still, GPs will be called upon she said to help make the new system work.
"All the GMF's [family medicine groups] will have an obligation to have an appointment system,” that will be connected to the new GAPs.
"The doctors…will have to take the people who are on the list, it's very important,” she said.
“It’s a big challenge, a big, big challenge. We’re missing many nurses now also."
The hope is that those who have been working in hospitals and vaccination centres over the last two years will return to help.
“We’ll continue to recruit. We need them, it’s clear,” said Belanger.
Correction
A previous version of this story stated 400,000 Montreal residents are without a family docotor, according to figures provided to CTV News. In fact, the number is 800,000.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.