Achi news desk-
The federation that represents family doctors in the province warns that patients could soon be without access to primary care services, if the Quebec government does not reach an agreement with it by the end of next month.
The Federation of GPs (FMOQ) to an agreement with the province two years ago, allowing for the creation of a primary care access point program, known as Front row entry counter (GAP), and provide a $120 bonus to doctors in family medicine groups for treating so-called orphan patients.
That agreement is set to expire on May 31st, and it is unclear what will happen then if the province fails to reach a new deal with the FMOQ before then.
“First of all, the GAP will not disappear,” said the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, to reporters in the National Assembly on Thursday. “There is no more money in the deal, but the deal is still there.”
Dubé explained that the province is ready and open to discuss a new agreement with the FMOQ, but first it wants to determine if the new system works for patients.
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Global News has confirmed that of the nearly 913,000 patients registered with a family medicine group, only around half have been able to get an appointment through the GAP since its creation.
In the meantime, Dubé claims, patients will not lose access to their family medicine groups – he is counting on doctors to continue seeing patients, even without a deal in place.
“The doctors are very professional,” he said.
But the FMOQ says the province is at risk of losing doctors in the meantime.
“What’s sad is that we’ve done all this work, all this change for two years in the hope of getting somewhere better, and now we’ll be starting back from the beginning,” said the FMOQ vice president Dr Guillaume Charbonneau. “The family doctors will do their best to provide care but we are not enough and we received help from people who do not work in primary care who will no longer be there.”
Charbonneau said the deal encourages doctors who were about to retire, as well as emergency room doctors, to stay on as part of a family medicine group.
“If we stop suddenly, unilaterally, with this system through the decision of the CAQ government, will we be able to bring those people back after that? I don’t think so,” Charbonneau said.
Dubé accused the federation of distortion in the legislature on Thursday.
“They told their doctors yesterday, and they will say again, that we want to tear up the contract. That’s false,” he said.
However, the opposition parties are not completely convinced.
“This is the same minister who promised Quebecers 90 minutes in the emergency room. The same minister who promised they would all have a family doctor,” said Liberal Health Critic André Fortin.
“How can we trust his word on May 31st will there still be access to the GAP clinics? There are doctors at the moment who have reduced their [availabilities] because of this.”
Currently more than 600,000 Quebecers are still on a waiting list for a family doctor.
& copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
