The future of one of the largest medical clinics in Quebec seems uncertain. The Angus Medical Clinic, in Montreal, is being put up for sale because operating costs have become too high. The Saint-Laurent Emergency Center, belonging to the same company, is also looking for a buyer. Concern is growing among the staff: what will happen if no buyer comes forward?
Posted at 1:13 a.m.
Updated at 5:00 a.m.
What you need to know
The Tootelo company is looking for buyers for the Angus Medical Clinic and the Saint-Laurent Emergency Center, in Montreal.
Healthcare professionals are concerned about the future of clinics that care for tens of thousands of patients.
The private company refuses to comment on the financial health of its clinics, but assures that the future of the clinics “is not in danger”.
“The climate is tense. There is uncertainty. Everyone is stressed and anxious,” says an employee of the Angus Medical Clinic care team who is not authorized to speak publicly.
The sale of the clinics was announced to staff on September 30. “We were all in shock. We don’t know what’s going to happen,” said the employee. Patients were not informed of this decision.
No less than 37,000 patients are followed at the Angus Medical Clinic, in the borough of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, in Montreal. With its 41 general practitioners and 68 specialists, it is one of the largest family medicine groups (GMF-R) in Quebec.
“Confidence is greatly shaken throughout the clinic,” comments a doctor at the Angus Medical Clinic.
For its part, the Saint-Laurent Emergency Center (GMF) is a medical clinic located on Marcel-Laurin Boulevard, in Saint-Laurent. She specializes in family medicine, minor emergencies and specialized medicine. It has 14 general practitioners and two specialist doctors.
In recent weeks, Tootelo also sold its third medical clinic, Polyclinique Levasseur, located in the borough of Saint-Léonard, in Montreal. This was bought by the Center Médical Mieux-Être.
Future of clinics ‘not in danger,’ says Tootelo
Tootelo explains its decision to sell its clinics due to operating costs. The company also reports a year “full of challenges”, citing in particular the Front Line Access Center (GAP), the scarcity of labor, the arrival of Santé Québec, relationships with the CIUSSS and the competitive context between clinics.
The doctor at the Angus Medical Clinic is worried. Are we on the verge of a bankruptcy that would close the doors to patients? And if bankruptcy is avoided, will we see doctors leaving for other clinics due to the upcoming changes?
At this stage, it is impossible to say whether patients risk losing their clinic. In response to the request for The Pressthe Tootelo company refuses to comment on the financial health of its two clinics for sale. The president of Tootelo, Annie Blanchette, however, told staff that the future of the clinics “is not in danger.”
“The challenges are real, but rest assured that we are committed to ensuring that services are offered, jobs maintained and that all doctors can continue to provide care,” declared Mr.me Blanchette in an email to staff on 1is october.
Last week, The Press reported that thousands more patients lost their doctors when non-doctor-owned clinics abruptly closed. This is the case of Lotus Médical, which went bankrupt in the spring of 2023. Its first clinic was taken over at the last minute, while the second, Lotus Décarie, closed suddenly without notice.
Read the file “Investors seeking “RAMQ” clinics”
Refocus on its technological activities
Even if the company says that the future of the clinics is not threatened, some staff members fear a closure, like the one that took place last July for the Polyclinique Pointe-aux-Trembles, also owned by Tootelo.
The approximately 6,400 patients followed by family doctors and front-line specialist nurse practitioners (IPS-PL) had to travel to another clinic in Montreal to consult them or give up their general practitioner and register at the access desk to a family doctor.
Read the file “Patients “with their mouths to water””
The president of Tootelo, Annie Blanchette, emphasizes that the situation is different, since the Polyclinique Pointe-aux-Trembles was experiencing recruitment difficulties and the team had few replacements. “Our priority has always been not to let patients or the team down, but with 7-8 doctors, to maintain services 84 [heures] per week was becoming inhumane,” she wrote in an internal email.
Tootelo now wishes to refocus on its technological activities. The company already has the Bonjour-santé service, which offers the search for medical appointments, the application Touchbasewhich allows the management of visits in the real estate sector, and the Telmatik and Communication LGP call centers.
