Quebec legislation to mandate residency for all regional inhabitants
Quebec is all set to table a bill on Thursday with the goal of ensuring that 100% of the population has a family doctor or specialized nurse practitioner by the summer of 2026. This legislation, primarily focused on establishing collective responsibility among doctors to improve access to medical services, will impact both family physicians and specialists.
With ongoing negotiations with the Quebec Federation of Family Physicians (FMOQ) and the Quebec Federation of Specialists (FMSQ), Premier François Legault boldly stated, "This will stir things up." One-third of family doctors, according to Legault, needs to step up their game regarding patient coverage. He stated emphatically, "We're tabling a bill tomorrow, and it's non-negotiable. I won't back down."
The bill, as yet unveiled, is expected to establish performance targets for family doctors and specialists, with one national target for family doctors being the availability of 18 million appointment slots per year. Local targets may also be set for each practice setting, such as having 30% of appointment slots left for first-line access mechanisms implemented by Quebec Health.
For specialists, Quebec aims to achieve 99% of surgeries within a maximum delay of one year and 95% of medical imaging exams to be interpreted within five days after the exam.
Health Minister Christian Dubé stated that negotiations with the FMOQ and FMSQ are ongoing and occurring in tandem with the bill's tabling. However, the Quebec Federation of Specialists (FMSQ) expressed strong resistance to the anticipated legislation, warning, "We won't let this happen." If the government attempts to impose new practice conditions and a new framework agreement on specialists through the bill, they plan to fight back.
Similar to recent developments in British Columbia, Quebec's bill may require family doctors to provide comprehensive, relationship-based care with specific patient panel sizes, annual reporting, and collaboration within a network or clinic setting to maintain eligibility for remuneration. The intention is likely to improve access, enhance the quality, and reduce wait times in the healthcare system.
For precise information about the bill's provisions and exact performance targets, one should refer to government releases or news coverage following the bill's tabling on Thursday.
- The Quebec government is proposing a bill that aims to increase the availability of family doctors and specialized nurse practitioners, focusing on collective responsibility among physicians.
- Premier François Legault stated that one-third of family doctors needs to improve patient coverage, as the bill will establish performance targets for family doctors and specialists.
- The bill includes a national target for family doctors, requiring the availability of 18 million appointment slots per year, while local targets may be set for each practice setting.
- For specialists, the bill aims to achieve 99% of surgeries within a year and 95% of medical imaging exams to be interpreted within five days after the exam.
- The Quebec Federation of Specialists (FMSQ) has shown strong resistance to the anticipated legislation, warning they will fight back if the government attempts to impose new practice conditions and a new framework agreement on specialists through the bill.
