Quebec will authorize more than 400 new medical school spaces over the next three years in a decision that the health minister says will help address the doctor shortage.

But not everyone is convinced.

It's no secret that finding a family doctor in Quebec is a struggle.

"We have a severe shortage of family doctors throughout the province of Quebec, not just on the island of Montreal," Mitch Shulman, a Montreal emergency medicine specialist.

To fix that, the province plans to train more doctors. Health Minister Christian Dubé has announced he will authorize new spaces in Quebec's medical schools for a cumulative total of 660 spaces in 2026-2027.

"As the three-year policy is reviewed annually, we can adjust the increases each year in a way that is perfectly adapted to current realities and needs in the field. Alongside the training of new doctors, we continue to work on other solutions to improve access to primary care, such as the primary care access counter (GAP) and family medicine groups (GMF)," the health minister said in a news release.

"It's good news but it comes too late," said Dr. Sylvain Dion, the first vice-president of the Federation of General Practitioners of Quebec.

Quebec is already experiencing a shortage and the additional students admitted this year won't be ready to practice medicine for another six years.

During the most recent campaign, the premier promised to boost admissions by 660 by the end of his second term. Friday's announcement puts the government on track to reach that target.

"The increase in the number of medical school admissions is good news. It's another step in the right direction to improve access to healthcare," said College des medecins in a statement.

"You can train everyone you want, you need to give the doctors a place to work and that's what isn't being available right now," said Dr. Shulman.

But Dr. Shulman says unless the province does away with regional quotas, the shortages will persist.

"The government has set up this system of prems which control the number of doctors that can set up their shingles, start practicing in any part of the province," he said.

The quotas limit the number of doctors that can practice in the cities in order to encourage them to set up shop in the regions. But Shulman says it hasn't worked.

"There are a lot of doctors graduating; most of them can't go where they want to practice. And so they say, 'You know what? I don't need to put up with them,' so they leave."

As doctors retire, he says not enough prems are added each year to keep up with the need in Montreal.