Family doctors fear new Quebec regulation will make it harder to see patients in need – CBC
Rule change ‘largely eliminates’ clinical judgment of doctors treating patients, family doctor federation says
Apr 09, 2024
Family doctors in the province are urging the Quebec government to reverse course on proposed regulations which they say would further limit access to health care in the province.
General practitioners fear that the regulation will prevent them from providing care to unregistered patients who come to their office using the walk-in service, even those coming from Guichet d’accès à la première ligne (GAP), a service Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé promotes for people who don’t have a family doctor.
According to the new regulations, patients registered with the Guichet d’accès à un médecin de famille (GAMF) will receive priority, so if a family doctor wants to take on other patients, they will have to justify their choice.
“If I see a patient who doesn’t have a family doctor at a walk-in, I can currently choose to take care of them if I judge that they have significant health needs. I do this by only signing a form, sent to the Régie de l’assurance santé du Québec,” said Chantal Guimond, a family doctor and the president of Réseau MAclinique.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-family-doctor-regulation-1.7167892
