Why so many Quebec doctors are joining the private system
Quebec's healthcare system is in dire need of more doctors, and it appears one of the biggest hurdles is keeping practitioners from going private.
More than 500 doctors in the province have left the public system, according to the FMOQ, a federation of general practitioners in Quebec.
The FMOQ's Dr. Guillaume Charbonneau says the reason family doctors are leaving is complex.
"They leave because of the constraints of the system, because of the burden of the work in the public system," he told CTV News. "They leave because they want a better quality of life."
He said there are currently 700 spots available in the public sector as doctors choose the private system, which offers more flexibility, or opt for specialties that have better working conditions.
It's a problem that has been years in the making, according to Dr. Neb Kovacina, a family doctor and professor at McGill University's Faculty of Medicine.
"I would say in the last 10 years, the options that they have in the private system look more acceptable and attractive. When I graduated 16 years ago, going into private practice was sort of taboo," Kovacina explained.
Quebec's private model is unique in Canada.
In Ontario, for example, charging more for services covered by the provincial plan is illegal. But here, clinics can charge what they want -- and Kovacina says it costs the public system in the long run.
"It's basically like skimming off the wealthy and healthy and leaving the more complex cases to the public system," he said.
Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé said the government is doing what it can to reduce the administrative burden on doctors and increase spaces in medical schools.
But that won't make a dent in the problem, the FMOQ says, unless the public system changes significantly.
"We need to change the way we do things. We need to make it more accessible for the patient and more healthy for the people who work in the system," said Charbonneau.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.