Legault threatens to penalize Quebec family doctors who fail to see more patients – Montreal | The Canadian News

Prime Minister François Legault says the province is putting in place a plan for family doctors in Quebec who are “not doing their best” to accept more patients.

Legault announced Wednesday that his government obtained a list from the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) of part-time doctors in the province, and his government will fight his union to put in more hours.

The prime minister said that most family doctors in Quebec see around 1,000 patients, but there is a minority who accept less than that. He said he wants all general practitioners to see at least 1,000 patients, and is considering legislating the quota.

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The prime minister said his government will penalize those who do not comply, but did not elaborate on a deadline or what the penalty would be.

“I don’t want to penalize all of them. Only those who are not doing their best, “he said. “My patience has reached the limit.”

The move to get family doctors to care for more patients was one of the promises of Legault’s Avenir Québec Coalition (CAQ) campaign during the last provincial elections in 2018. He said that if elected, he would get a family doctor for all Quebecers.

At the time, the number of Quebec residents waiting for a family doctor was 400,000. In the last three years, that number has doubled; it now stands at 800,000.

The prime minister said that the health care network will analyze the medical problem by doctor and consider exceptions, such as spending hours in hospitals, being older or having a child with special needs that requires more attention.

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When asked if he is concerned about whether this move will result in young doctors leaving the province or choosing not to pursue family medicine, Legault compared the profession to that of teachers and firefighters.

“When someone decides to become an elementary school teacher, can that person say that I want to teach only two days a week? Can a firefighter say he wants to put out fires only two days a week? “

“People are sick at night and on weekends,” Legault told reporters. “Those who chose that profession must understand that people are sick seven days a week.”

Legault said he is aware of the strong reaction from doctors on social media on Wednesday, adding that he wanted to ensure that “there is no problem with how much most of them work.”

‘A threatening approach’: union, politicians denounce the CAQ maneuver

The president of the union of the Federation of General Practitioners of Quebec (FMOQ), Dr. Louis Godin, said it is shocking to see doctors accused of not working enough. Godin said the government should focus on addressing the shortage of family doctors in the province.

Quebec Liberal Party opposition leader Dominique Anglade said the fact that Legault is telling doctors that he has a blacklist of the names of those who are not working enough is concerning, calling it a threatening approach.

The leader of the Parti Québécois (PQ), Joël Arseneau, said the government’s move shows how much the CAQ improvises without fully knowing the legality of its actions.

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“The prime minister’s interference in the healthcare system is concerning,” Arseneau said.

Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois of Québéc Solidaire also denounced the government’s “list of lazy villains it will discipline”.

‘It is time to find a solution’

As for how the government would proceed with this announcement, Legault said it would legislate to be able to transfer the names of family doctors on the list to the heads of their respective CISSS and CIUSSS, who would then be in charge of getting them to work more. or implement sanctions.

Legault said his government has tried to negotiate with the union for the past three years without success.

“Gaétan Barrette (one of Quebec’s former health ministers) tried for four years. The PQ government, the liberal government, they all tried to confront the union without success, ”he said, adding that it is time for his government to find a solution. “I want to fulfill this (campaign) promise like the others,” he said.

–With files from The Canadian Press