Record number of Quebec doctors left public system in last year

More Quebec doctors are opting out of the public health-care sector than ever before, Radio-Canada has learned. 

A total of 780 general practitioners and specialists left the public system in the past year — an increase of 22 per cent compared to the year prior, according to data compiled by the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ).

"I think we're in serious trouble," Dr. Isabelle Leblanc, president of Médecins québécois pour le régime public (MQRP), said of the numbers, which were first reported in the Montreal Gazette. 

"On the one hand, the government is saying, 'Yes, there aren't enough doctors, we're going to train 600 more a year,' but at the same time, 780 of them are going to the private sector."

The Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec (FMOQ), which represents more than 10,000 family physicians, described the situation as "deplorable." 

"[The situation] is unfortunately attributable to the growing constraints imposed on family doctors in the public network," the federation said in a statement. 

"Doctors completing their studies would like to practise according to their field of interest in their region, according to the needs of the population. However, the system is increasingly directing their work and reducing the flexibility of their practice by virtue of constraints that date back more than 25 years."

Leblanc says the exodus can be attributed in part to a campaign by private clinics to recruit doctors. 

"I teach residents who are specializing in family medicine, and from the very first day of their residency, private clinics are soliciting them to work with them afterwards," she said. 

Working conditions in the public system are also much more demanding than in the private network.

"It's a quality of life choice. There's no on-call duty. We don't work nights or weekends. The schedule is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Patients are less sick because they work, are healthy and have the money to pay. It's a much lighter practice," said Élise Girouard-Chantal, a graduating family medicine resident and MQRP board member.

Another issue is the restrictions the Quebec government imposes on doctors, particularly in terms of restricting where they can practise, Girouard-Chantal says. 

"The restrictions are so intense that it's almost impossible to choose where you want to work and with which clientele," she said. 

In a statement, Quebec's Health Ministry said not all physicians who left the public sector moved to the private sector.