Proposed changes to the way that family doctors are assigned is causing concern throughout Quebec, including in the Pontiac.
Last week, Radio-Canada reported that Quebec was considering a change in how patients were assigned to see family doctors, prioritizing those with serious medical issues. If enacted, the change would mean that patients without serious health issues, even if they currently have a family doctor, would have to go through a version of the the Guichet d’accès à la première ligne (GAP), the province’s portal for primary care. What such a change would entail is the subject of a report released October 3 by Quebec’s health and social services institute (INESSS).
Dr. John Wootton, a long-time GP in Pontiac and former head of the area’s family medicine group, explained that the proposed change is part of a broader discussion about how to best provide front-line health services to Quebecers. He said that, if enacted, it would require a large culture change, for both doctors and patients.
Pontiac MNA André Fortin, who also serves as the opposition critic for health, said that he was strongly opposed to the health minister’s proposal.
