Quebec wants to make it harder for doctors to go from public to private system

Antoni Nerestant · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 01, 2025 1:12 PM EDT | Last Updated: little than a infinitesimal ago

The Coalition Avenir Québec authorities is proposing restrictions for physicians who privation to spell from the nationalist to the backstage wellness system, but an absorption MNA says the connection lacks substance.

Late past year, the CAQ tabled a measure to unit physicians to practise successful the nationalist strategy for astatine slightest 5 years aft graduating.

Now, it's proposing amendments that would use to each physicians — not conscionable caller ones. 

With the existent rules, Health Minister Christian Dubé says it's excessively casual for physicians to go "back and forth" betwixt the nationalist and backstage system. A doc conscionable needs to springiness the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ), the province's wellness security board, a 30-day announcement to spell from the nationalist to backstage sector.

On Tuesday, Dubé proposed amendments to Bill 83, the projected authorities he tabled in December that focused connected caller doctors.

Those amendments would necessitate doctors to get ceremonial support from Santé Québec, the newest provincial Crown corp that present oversees the wellness system, earlier switching from the nationalist to backstage sector. 

Santé Québec volition either o.k. oregon cull a doctor's petition based connected the pursuing criteria:

• The fig of disposable doctors successful a region.
• The doctor's departure from the nationalist strategy cannot pb to antagonistic consequences for patients successful that region.
• The inability of the nationalist web to usage this doc successful the establishments successful that region.

WATCH | A breakdown of the backstage system's effect connected the nationalist system: 

The province's College of Physicians has said that it prefers an outright prohibition connected doctors leaving the nationalist system.

The minister's amendments autumn good abbreviated of that. 

"We privation to marque definite that we springiness flexibility, due to the fact that I ever said that the backstage assemblage is complementary to the public," Dubé said erstwhile asked whether the projected rules are pugnacious enough.

Vincent Marissal, an MNA with Québec Solidaire, was speedy to constituent retired Tuesday that the province's Heath Insurance Act already gives the curate powerfulness to bounds doctors' movements betwixt the nationalist and backstage strategy if they think it's successful the champion interest of a diligent successful a fixed region.

As acold arsenic Marissal is concerned, Dubé is utilizing the amendments to transportation that work to Santé Québec.

"It's a deficiency of courageousness connected his part," the MNA said.

He added that the minister should simply forbid doctors from breaking distant from the nationalist system.

"We can't beryllium speaking from some sides of our mouths," Marissal said. "We can't beryllium saying that we privation to bring radical backmost to the nationalist strategy portion continuing to make the backstage system."

Fines for caller doctors

In its quality merchandise announcing these changes, Dubé's bureau points to information that shows that 820 doctors are practising successful the backstage sector. 

Although determination are astir 22,000 physicians successful Quebec, Dubé's bureau said the fig of doctors who chose to opt for the backstage strategy represents an 80-per-cent summation compared to 2020.

It besides says that determination 150 different physicians, mostly specialists, who alternated regularly betwixt the backstage and nationalist assemblage successful the past year. 

As for caller doctors, Bill 83 calls for fines ranging from $20,000 to $100,000 per day, with repetition offences incurring fines of $40,000 to $200,000, for physicians who permission the nationalist strategy successful the archetypal 5 years aft graduating.

The bill, and its amendments, were scheduled to beryllium studied extensively by lawmakers astatine the National Assembly connected Tuesday.