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
'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.
'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.
Former South Dakota mayor charged with triple homicide
Three people were shot to death in a small South Dakota town, and a former law officer who once served as the town's mayor is charged in the killings.
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.
Debunking the 'anti-sunscreen' movement: Doctors say TikTok trend is dangerous
Dermatologists are sounding the alarm about misinformation from the anti-sunscreen movement, saying not wearing sunscreen can cause cancer and other problems.
Widespread theft costing Canada's retail industry dearly: experts
The Retail Council of Canada wants to put a stop to widespread theft within the retail industry, and industry leaders are meeting this week to find solutions.
Records detail Brampton councillor's standoff with city over derelict property
A derelict property connected to a Brampton city councillor racked up $12,500 in fines in dozens of penalty notices over several months as city officials warned it was becoming a haven for rats and a homeless encampment, records obtained by CTV News show.
Dozens of people smuggled in freight trains across B.C. border into U.S., officials say
Authorities in the United States have arrested two men accused of using freight trains to smuggle dozens of people out of British Columbia and into the U.S. in what officials described as an 'extremely dangerous' criminal conspiracy.