Health network: Quebec “very close” to weaning itself from the private sector

Minister Christian Dubé assures that Quebec is on the verge of weaning itself from recourse to private health care. His bill to force young doctors to work in the public network could only be a first step, he suggests.

The Minister of Health answered questions from solidarity deputy Vincent Marissal, as part of a two-hour questioning at the Salon rouge, early Tuesday.

At the start of the week, he set the table by revealing his intention to force new doctors to work in the public network during the first years of their practice.

But Christian Dubé created a surprise by announcing his intention to go further, after having focused heavily on the private sector in recent years.

“I think we are very close to being able to gradually wean ourselves off the private network,” he declared.

Just like the College of Physicians, Christian Dubé says he wants to stop the growth of this parallel network.

His bill, he said, could be “robust” and contain more measures than those announced in the media this week. In addition, Quebec could act outside the bill, notably by regulation.

This would be a 180-degree turn, while the Legault government has focused on the private sector in order to catch up since the pandemic. Many surgeries, covered by RAMQ, were entrusted to specialized medical clinics. In addition, doctor appointment booking platforms now offer paid options, often faster.

Like agencies

Christian Dubé compares the approach to that underway to stop using staff placement agencies in hospitals and CHSLDs. These will be gradually banned by October 2026.

The private network will not disappear, however. This “will always remain complementary, but perhaps not up to what it is at the moment,” specifies Mr. Dubé.

Without commenting on the measures envisaged, the minister compared the process to that used to remove agencies from the health network. “Together we brought about a gradual end to the use of private agencies and then a gradual increase in our flying teams which are part of our staff. I’ll give you this example, that’s how we should think about our discussions that we have with, for example, doctors who are in the private sector,” illustrates Mr. Dubé.

The minister also mentioned the idea of ​​limiting the gap in fees imposed between the public and the private sector, put forward by the College of Physicians on Monday.

More details will follow.