The excellent quality of care provided by the Hawkesbury Hospital is once again in the spotlight after a well-known columnist headed west for medical care.

Ron Desmarais was not feeling well on Friday. His leg was swollen and he was in pain, so he tried to get an appointment at the clinic near his Ahuntsic home.

He had no luck because doctors at that CLSC stop working at noon on Fridays.

He and his wife Lise Ravary visited or contacted seven other clinics in Montreal, but their efforts were fruitless: nobody was seeing patients on the final Friday of Spring Break.

They visited a hospital emergency room but soon realized their wait would be hours long, if they were able to see a doctor at all.

On Saturday, with Desmarais still in pain, the pair drove to Ontario to the Hawkesbury Hospital, and were pleasantly surprised.

"He knew things were going to be different, the experience was going to be different, when he went to the registration desk and there was a sticker on the desk that said 'if it's a crisis for you, it's a crisis for us,'" said Ravary.

The Journal de Montreal columnist said her husband was seen by a doctor within 40 minutes, was able to have his leg scanned, and was scheduled able to return Sunday for a follow-up visit.

Ravary said her husband received "full treatment in an extremely pleasant and courteous manner."

The trip also pointed out shortcomings when trying to get medical care in Montreal, especially for people like her who do not have a family doctor.

"I think that really encapsulates the attitude, the difference in attitude. You're not a pain in the neck, you're not a burden," said Ravary.

"I'm not blaming nurses, medical staff, you know people are overworked and conditions are bad for them first and foremost, they're the first ones on the line, but there's an attitude thing and I think in Quebec, we manage systems badly."

With growing numbers of Quebecers moving into the region west of Montreal, plans for a new hospital in the region were developed by the Charest government, but put on hold when the Parti Quebecois was elected in 2012.

The number of Quebecers going to Hawkesbury for medical care has increased, from 19,000 in 2011 to nearly 23,000 in 2015.

Quebec's health ministry, RAMQ, pays the full cost for any patients who seek medical care in Ontario. Last year alone that meant RAMQ paid Ontario about $23 million for patients who went to Hawkesbury Hospital.