Quebec medical specialists sounding the alarm about crumbling healthcare system
Global News
Quebec's medical specialists are sounding the alarm about the healthcare system, saying the newly-re-elected Legault government needs to act quickly to overhaul it.
The Federation representing Quebec’s medical specialists (FMSQ) is sounding the alarm about Quebec’s beleaguered healthcare system.
The FMSQ, representing 10,000 medical specialists across the province, published an open letter on Thursday asking the Quebec government to focus on healthcare reform now the election campaign is finished.
Thirty-five presidents of affiliated medical organizations also signed the letter.
The Federation says operations are often cancelled at the last minute because of a lack of planning or missing equipment. They say patients can’t access specialists, and the medical archive system is archaic and needs updating, and too many resources are missing.
“Patients are waiting too long. They can’t find their way to see the doctors,” said Dr. Vincent Oliva, the President of the Federation of Medical Specialists of Quebec. “The specialists are ready to treat patients. The problem is the system is not very well organized.”
Doctors say patients are showing up in emergency rooms, desperate to see a specialist. They say requisitions are put in a general pool and patients often wait weeks for a follow-up.
“It is very bad, it is very difficult,” said Dr. Gilbert Boucher, the president of the association representing Quebec’s emergency room doctors. “We are seeing it on the ground. They are trying not to come to the emergency department, but often it’s the only way in. There is no one answering them on the phone. They will try two weeks, at the end they give up and they come and see us.”
The doctors also say Quebec has been slow to modernize its archaic medical records system, and that often the burden is on patients to track down their own medical records and deposit them in doctors’ offices. They say the whole system needs updating, and needs digitization to better optimize patient care.
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