Family doctors vote overwhelmingly in favor of agreement with Quebec
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Quebec’s family doctors have voted overwhelmingly in favor of an agreement that would encourage them to take on an additional 500,000 patients by next June.
Friday’s vote followed a lengthy negotiation between doctors and the Coalition Avenir Quebec government, which had put forward controversial legislation, known as Bill 2, which would, among other things, tie a portion of doctors’ salaries to performance indicators.
This law provoked a strong reaction from doctors and many family physicians and clinics threatened to close down altogether if the law was not amended.
Earlier this month, Premier François Legault stepped in to negotiate with the doctors’ union, and reached a tentative agreement that rolled back several key measures in Bill 2.
The new deal ended a controversial plan to assign patients on a color-coded system based on their level of vulnerability, and removed articles in the law that would have penalized doctors for not following the reforms.
The deal also removed the obligation for family doctor groups, known as GMFs in French, to take on the province’s estimated 1.2 million orphan patients by January 2027. Instead, the deal states that doctors will take on 500,000 new patients on a voluntary basis by June, and will receive more money if that goal is met, but will not face penalties if those goals are not reached.
Minister says deal is ‘win-win’
Frans-Alain Duranceau, President of Quebec’s Treasury Board, called the deal a “win-win” agreement.
“We have more than 500,000 Quebecers who will be seen by a GP. That’s good news,” he said.
A day after the province’s longtime health minister resigned and left the governing CAQ party over concessions made to doctors in connection with the controversial Bill 2, Premier François Legault defended those concessions and appointed a new health minister.
Of those 500,000 patients, 200,000 are considered “vulnerable people” who have to go to emergency rooms to receive care, Duranceau said.
The association that represents family doctors Federation des médecins omnipracticiens du Québec (FMOQ) said in a statement that the agreement was a “clear commitment to transforming front-line care”.
“Among other things, the agreement will change the remuneration model, improve funding for telemedicine and stabilize clinics that rely on the GMF program,” the statement said.
“Family physicians will be able to continue to practice high-quality family medicine and focus on what they do best: caring for patients in Quebec.”
Quebec’s longtime health minister, Christian Dubé, resigned on Thursday, saying the government has backtracked on several measures in Bill 2. He said the current deal is “status quo”.
