As of Thursday, ultrasounds performed by radiologists in Quebec’s private medical clinics will be covered under Medicare, Health Minister Gaetan Barrette announced.
In a statement, Barette said the measure will increase accessibility to the procedure and increase the speed of patient care.
However, the Quebec Association of Radiologists have still not reached an agreement with the provincial government on how this will be implemented. President Dr. Vincent Oliva said the transition is too abrupt and emphasized that hospitals have five times more ultrasound devices than the private network.
Oliva said there is a “surplus capacity” in hospitals that should have been exploited as part of any adjustment.
