Five things to know about the fight between Quebec doctors and the government
Global News
Here are five things to know about the ongoing battle between physicians and the provincial government.
Doctors in Quebec are up in arms over a recent provincial law that imposes a new payment system on physicians and prohibits them from using pressure tactics to oppose the policy.
Meanwhile, neighbouring provinces are openly courting Quebec doctors seeking greener pastures. Here are five things to know about the ongoing battle between physicians and the provincial government.
How did this start?
The Quebec government in May tabled legislation intended to improve health-care access for the roughly 1.5 million Quebecers who do not have a family doctor. Premier François Legault promised all Quebecers access to a family doctor during the 2018 election campaign that swept his party to power, though he later conceded that wouldn’t be possible. The government now says it wants every Quebecer to have access to a health professional by the summer of 2026.
Bill 106 aimed to register all residents with a health-care clinic. It also proposed tying part of doctors’ remuneration to performance indicators such as appointment and surgery numbers, with the government initially suggesting up to 25 per cent of their pay could be tied to those benchmarks. Health Minister Christian Dubé has said the reform would encourage physicians to take on more patients.
How did doctors respond?
Not well. Quebec’s two doctors federations argued the changes would sacrifice quality of care in favour of volume, and could overwhelm doctors and cause an exodus to other provinces. Physicians accused the government of painting them as lazy and called for the bill to be withdrawn.
This fall, amid stalled contract negotiations with the government, the two federations stopped teaching medical students as a boycott. Then last week, Legault announced he would use special legislation to force through the reform and break the impasse, saying he was acting on behalf of patients.
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