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In the face of mounting pressure, the Quebec government is again trying to get groups representing doctors to get on board with the province’s health reforms — and says it’s open to negotiations.
Health Minister Christian Dubé said Thursday that a controversial aspect of Bill 2 will not be applied to doctors.
The legislation, which imposes a new remuneration system on doctors based on performance indicators, gives the province powers to have inspectors evaluate whether individual doctors are compliant with the new law.
Doctors could also get hit with financial penalties if they fail to follow the rules.
At a news conference, Dubé said the portion of the bill that relates to the oversight mechanism for doctors would not be applied — although it will remain in the legislation, which has already passed into law.
Dubé said his government has been flexible and offered to make a number of concessions, and he wants to sit down with the main doctors’ federations to negotiate. Physicians have been complaining about the health reforms for months.
Last May, the Coalition Avenir Québec government tabled legislation introducing the new remuneration system aimed at giving health-care access to 1.5 million Quebecers without a family doctor.
But after months of negotiations, the province tabled another piece of legislation, known as Bill 2, and forced the changes into law by invoking closure.
Since Bill 2 passed last month, a number of doctors have said they will leave the province or the profession, and some clinics with a large number of patients have said they will have to close.
The uproar was apparent during a massive protest at Montreal’s Bell Centre last weekend.
Treasury Board president France-Élaine Duranceau, who was also at the news conference, said the latest concession is a sign the government is open to finding common ground.
“We need you,” Duranceau said Thursday. “We want to reiterate we are open to discussions.”
Following the news conference, the groups representing specialists and family doctors both issued statements saying the changes were insufficient and called on the government to suspend the law.
Dr. Vincent Oliva, head of the Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec, said in statement he was “surprised that the government is still not taking into account the historic mobilization of physicians and many citizens against the adverse effects of this law, as well as the opinions of numerous experts, patients and interest groups.”
WATCH | Family doctors warn of effects of Bill 2:
Montreal family doctors warn new health reforms will make compassionate care harder
One family medicine group in the city’s Ahuntsic neighbourhood says it’s lost nine physicians because of Bill 2, Quebec’s controversial law that ties a part of doctors’ pay to performance indicators. As remaining staff try to absorb the patients of those doctors, they say the new law will make care more difficult.