Quebec wants to implement a single appointment portal next year to counter the confusion surrounding the numerous reservation tools in the health sector.
Posted at 2:42 p.m.
“There are a lot of platforms currently and people, rightly so, have difficulty finding their way through them,” said Tuesday the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, on X. He was thus reacting to an investigation by The Press on the Clic Santé tool: according to a computerized analysis of 1.3 million services offered, 70% were offered in a private clinic and more than half required fees.
“Let us specify that Clic Santé is a private company which has several clients, including health establishments,” wrote the minister. “We therefore have no control at the moment over the appointment offer made available by Clic Santé. »
The minister adds that Santé Québec, the new state corporation responsible for managing the health network, is developing the Your Health platform. This must become, in 2025, “the only appointment portal, public and available to all”, he indicates.
Symptom of a more serious problem
In Quebec, opposition parties have often denounced the growth of the private sector to the detriment of public health services. “The research work of The Press demonstrates [que] the CAQ favors the private sector with public funds and condemns an ever-larger part of the population to pay out of their own pocket to obtain care,” responded Vincent Marissal, spokesperson for Québec solidaire in matters of health, in a statement sent has The Press.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The solidarity deputy, Vincent Marissal
According to the Ministry of Health, public contracts worth 77 million awarded over the counter to Clic Santé allowed establishments to save money in terms of appointment management. “We would like to obtain studies from the government which apparently allow us to affirm that Clic Santé allows us to make significant savings,” says Mr. Marissal.
“Are we surprised? Absolutely not,” reacted the CSN, in a press release, to the revelations of The Press. “This platform has long been sending people who need care to the private sector, to the detriment of the public network,” underlines its president, Caroline Senneville, who calls on the government to “put an end to the exodus of doctors to the private sector” .
“The almost systematic reference to private clinics by Clic Santé [est] the symptom of a more serious problem,” believes André Fortin, spokesperson for the Liberal Party of Quebec in health. This problem is “the non-availability of care to the public”, continues the elected official in a written declaration to The Press.
Insufficient public supply
Trimoz, the Alma company behind Clic Santé, echoes André Fortin’s criticism when it writes that “the platform does not control the provision of care, it only reflects it”. In a press release, its president Stéphane Lajoie, adds: “If the public network increases its offer of appointments on Clic Santé, all Quebecers will immediately benefit from better access since it is here that they have the reflex to take their appointments. »
PHOTO GIMMY DESBIENS, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Stéphane Lajoie, president of Trimoz Technologie
Remember that Trimoz disputes the results of the analysis of The Press. In its press release, it maintains that toll-free services dominate on Clic Santé: “In the same 60-minute time slot, a pharmacy can offer several types of appointments: for example, the COVID-19 vaccine (free) and paid services like the vaccine [contre le] shingles or antibiotic treatment for a cat bite. Although several services are offered simultaneously, only one patient can obtain an appointment in this slot. The data shows that in 91% of cases, the free service is chosen by the patient. »
It has not been possible to verify these claims. Trimoz refused to show The Press its data relating to reservations for “commercial reasons”.
The analysis of The Press is based on all the services offered to them and not on the possibility or not of obtaining a free appointment in a specific slot. It is based on the attempts of 50 patients located throughout Quebec to obtain an appointment among 230 services during three days of testing. In this sense, it reflects the experience of Clic Santé users.
Our readers react
Our investigation struck a chord with several readers who sent us their experiences, good or bad, with Clic Santé.
“I use the platform for family members who live with me and I never have difficulty making an appointment in the Health network for vaccines and samples,” writes Denys Thibodeau. , by Boisbriand. He finds Clic Santé “fantastic”, because it allows him to go to the pharmacy at the right time and not wait.
Iris Diaz, from Brossard, however, had the unpleasant surprise of being asked for fees even though Clic Santé promised her a free appointment. It was last August for a blood test for his father. Upon verification, the private clinic does offer blood tests free of charge on Clic Santé, but charges $85 for the same thing on its website.
Other readers, finally, have informed us that it is possible to filter the offers presented by Clic Santé to only retain those which are free of charge.
With Fanny Lévesque, The Press
