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As many as 15,000 patients have suddenly lost access to their family doctor in a region where such access already posed a serious problem. Photo by Pierre Obendrauf /Montreal GazetteArticle contentSanté Québec and the provincial government appear to have no immediate contingency plan to address the departures of 33 physicians from the Outaouais region following the adoption last October of Bill 2, the controversial law on doctors’ pay.Sign In or Create an Accountor View more offersArticle contentTwo dozen family physicians and nine medical specialists have quit the region to work in Ontario and other provinces, making good on their threat last fall during the debate over Bill 2. As many as 15,000 patients have suddenly lost access to their family doctor in a region where such access already posed a serious problem, especially in small towns like Wakefield.Article contentWe apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Article contentAdvertisement 1Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article contentAsked whether the regional health authority had a plan to deal with so many physician departures in so short a period of time, a spokesperson for the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de l’Outaouais suggested that patients could sign up to wait for a family doctor on a government website known in French as the Guichet d’accès à la première ligne (GAP).Article contentBut there are currently nearly 555,000 Quebecers who are on a wait list for a family doctor in the GAP system.Article content“To date, 24 family doctors and nine specialists have decided to leave following Bill 2,” spokesperson Camille Brochu-Lafrance said in an email.Article content“All departures are cause for concern, and some patients will now be cared for through the GAP rather than by registering with a family doctor.”Article contentShe added that the Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec (FMOQ) has committed under the new law to ensuring its members register 500,000 more patients across Quebec by June, and this measure “will help mitigate the impact of these departures.”Article contentAdvertisement 2Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article contentThe departures include one of each medical specialization: radio-oncology, radiology, otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat), rheumatology, anesthesiology, hematology, plastic surgery and pathology. Still, Brochu-Lafrance asserted that “access to medical specializations is not affected by these departures, as we have no additional departures in specializations this year.”Article contentThe departures follows an open invitation to Quebec doctors by Ontario Premier Doug Ford last November to practice in his province — an announcement that angered Premier François Legault. Nearly 400 Quebec doctors applied to work in other provinces, but the Outaouais departures appear to be the first confirmed ones.Article contentThe tumult over Bill 2 led to the resignations in quick succession of Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant, Health Minister Christian Dubé, and was partially responsible for the resignation of the premier himself.Article contentMarie-Eve Despatie-Gagnon, a public-affairs official at Santé Québec, said that any patient who has lost access to their doctor will be “redirected (to make sure) that access to services is maintained,” but she was unable to elaborate on how that could be done with fewer physicians.Advertisement 1This advertisement has not loaded yet.Trending Time with Canadiens lights fuse for Rocket goaltender Jacob Fowler Laval Rocket Laval father charged with killing his two children admits to drownings News Cowan: Canadiens’ defence playing a big role in team’s offence Montreal Canadiens Another pandemic will inevitably hit Canada. This McGill lab wants it to be ready Local News Marwah Rizqy says she ‘never wanted to be excluded’ from Quebec Liberals Quebec Politics
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Article contentCoincidentally, Geneviève Biron, the chief executive officer of Santé Québec, was scheduled to visit the Outaouais on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of her tour of the regions.Article contentCatherine Barbeau, press attaché to Health Minister Sonia Bélanger, acknowledged the hardships that some Quebec patients may now face following the departures, which were first reported by Radio-Canada.Article content“We are aware that these departures, regardless of the reason given, may cause concern for the population of the Outaouais, a region that has long faced particular challenges, particularly due to its proximity to Ontario,” Barbeau said.Article content“Santé Québec is working closely with regional teams to ensure continuity of services and implement the necessary solutions to maintain access to care. At the same time, efforts are continuing to improve patient care throughout Quebec, particularly through the agreement reached with family physicians.”Article contentArticle contentArticle contentArticle contentAdvertisement 2This advertisement has not loaded yet.
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