A pilot project is currently implemented in Bas-Saint-Laurent for the entire population to be taken care of by a family doctor or a specialized practitioner nurse, the minister of Health, Christian Dubé, revealed on Monday evening. He wants this “experimentation” to extend to the rest of Quebec.
“This is what we are going to ask our doctors [de famille] In the negotiation that is underway, ”he said. By the summer of 2026, the objective is that each Quebecer is registered with a doctor or a group of professionals in a care environment in his region, the minister recalled during a debate by the director of the Duty, Brian Myles, as part of the launch in Montreal of the book The indomitable mammoth.
This investigation by the journalist of Duty Marie-Michèle Sioui and the ex-adviser Politique Pascal Mailhot traces the history of the health network. The story, full of dialogues and anecdotes, begins shortly before the entry into force of health insurance in the 1970s, and went to the official start of health Quebec in 2024.
For several months, the two authors interviewed members of the political class who were at the forefront of public system transformations over the years.
On the occasion of the launch of the book, Minister Dubé also participated in the Panel on Monday in the company of Philippe Couillard, who was Prime Minister of Quebec from 2014 to 2018, Gaétan Barrette, who was Minister of Health in the Couillard government, and Joanne Castonguay, Commissioner for Health and Well-Being.
Adjust the reform on the way
For almost an hour, the four participants exchanged about the various reforms that shaped the health network, the latest having led to the creation of Health Québec.
In about ten years, the efficiency of this last reform can be judged according to the accessibility to the care that has arisen from it, said Couillard. “This is the big challenge. However, we must refrain from declaring that this reform is a failure after only two years of existence, he added. “Rather, it must be adjusted on the way. You have to be quickly aware of what does not work and correct it right away. Because if we leave the worm in the apple, we know what will happen to the apple. »»
-Philippe Couillard also told Minister Dubé to show “resilience, patience and determination”.
“Let’s not get back. People have souped reforms. They now want to see the network go continuously with adjustments along the way and not another reform that would arrive over the previous ones, “he said.
Measure the “value” of the network
For her part, the Commissioner for Health and Well-Being, Joanne Castonguay, took advantage of the evening on Monday to announce that she would launch a project next June to assess the value of the health system.
Indicators will therefore be available online to measure, for example, if the health system contributes to “maintaining and improving the state of health of Quebecers”, explained to the Duty Marie-France Vermette, communications advisor tome CASTONGUAY. It will also be a question of analyzing whether the care and services received by the population are “accessible in a timely manner, people-oriented, of quality, efficient and fair,” she said. This tool aims to “support public debate and decision -making at strategic level,” said Mr.me Capacity.
When launching the book The indomitable mammotha documentary in which we follow Marie-Michèle Sioui and Pascal Mailhot behind the scenes of the creation of Health Québec was also projected.
On April 29, another event was organized to highlight the publication of the book, but this time in Quebec City. Prime Minister, François Legault, had notably participated.
