Achi news desk-
Halfway between a family medicine group (GMF) and a hospital, the Quebec government on Wednesday clarified its model for small private hospitals that would focus on the needs of the elderly.
Two small hospitals, which will look like special geriatric clinics, will be established in the Montreal and Quebec City areas.
Health Minister Christian Dube’s office confirmed Wednesday that the government will allocate $35 million in public funds annually to each sex hospital. Quebec health insurance will cover free treatment and services for patients.
These facilities, which the CAQ hopes to deliver by 2025, will have an emergency room but no operating room. They will be equipped to meet the needs that most commonly affect the elderly, but if the Mini Hospital is the best place for a person’s needs, people of all ages can be referred.
The mini hospitals will be open 24/7, but new patients will be accepted between the hours of 7:00 and 22:00.
The teams will conduct diagnostic tests on site and can keep patients under observation for a short stay.
Patients admitted to small hospitals must be referred by a medical professional from another facility or referred through the front access desk, 811, 911, or ambulance attendants. The government aims to ease overcrowding in hospitals in less urgent cases, especially P4 and P5, as they are known in medical parlance.
The Health Minister’s office stated that it is aware of situations in which elderly people who come to the emergency room can spend several hours there, where they are sorted to the bottom of the priority scale. This is often not a suitable environment for the elderly and can even be hostile. The concept of a mini hospital is meant to alleviate such situations.
These facilities will also have access to ambulances and Patronsit.
The government has said it may repeat the mini-hospital project elsewhere in Quebec.
“We have always said that the private network must complement the public network, and by joining forces as we are doing today, Quivers will have better access to their healthcare network,” Duba said in a press release.
Not everyone in the health sector welcomed the mini-hospital idea unveiled on Wednesday.
The health services association, Fédération de la santé et des services sociales (FSSS-CSN) expressed its displeasure in a post on X.
“Now the CAQ wants to keep its future private hospitals for the elderly. Minister Duba simply does not understand this. We need to invest in the public sector. Studies show that the private sector is not good for health,” the federation wrote.
The Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) noted in X that although 73 percent of Quebecers support the concept of small hospitals, “the CAQ is backing away from its project and distorting it by creating large GMFs and small emergency rooms for the elderly instead. By visiting the rooms of Quebec’s emergency department, CAQ will understand that the wait for an emergency room affects all age groups.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 17, 2024. The Canadian Press’ health content is funded through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for editorial choices.
