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A family medicine clinic in Hudson, Que., that was set to close in response to the province’s law reforming doctors’ pay says it is now “cautiously optimistic” about staying open after the government backtracked on some measures.
“We’re postponing closing, pending the government making good on the deal that was reached and implementing the appropriate legislative changes,” said family physician Dr. Christopher Forrest.
In November, the Hudson Medical Centre, which serves more than 11,000 patients in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region, announced it was closing due to the province’s controversial Bill 2.
The clinic’s family doctors cited concerns that under the new legislation, doctors would have to compromise the care they give to patients in order to respect the province’s regulations.
The bill tied doctors’ salaries to key performance indicators related to the number of patients they cared for. It also sought to assign patients on a colour-coded system based on their degree of vulnerability.
But, in mid-December, the province reached an agreement with family physicians, and backtracked on some of the more controversial aspects of Bill 2, including physicians’ remuneration.
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Some Montreal-area clinics say they may not close after all amid changes to doctor pay law
After Quebec’s controversial Bill 2 led to some clinics threatening or planning to close, and others dealing with doctors leaving, some now say they’re reconsidering after the government agreed to both delay and significantly amend the law.
Forrest says that while this is good news, doctors at the clinic still have a lot of questions about how the final bill will look.
“When we get some of the information that was missing, regarding things like remuneration, among many others […] we’ll be able to make a more enlightened decision,” he said.
“We do remain optimistic that there will be a way to move forward.”
He says doctors at the GMF — the French acronym for family doctor group — want to make sure the new agreement is respected before making a decision on whether or not to keep practising in Quebec.
Damage already done
Forrest says one doctor has already decided to leave the province and some others are still unsure.
Christie Lovat and her family have been patients at the GMF Hudson for four generations, but now, her daughter is going to lose her physician.
“I’m happy that they are reconsidering [the closure]. But I don’t blame them at all for still being tentative,” she said.
“Knowing as an employee that is what your employer is capable of, even if they withdraw from it …. There is something you can never unlearn.”
Forrest says the process has been disruptive for all concerned, including patients. He said there could be further implications for the clinic if other physicians decide to leave.
“That takes away resources from the clinic that are essential for the clinic to be able to operate properly. And so that only adds to the problem.”
He also worries how this might affect future generations and those eager to choose family medicine who may be discouraged from this experience and the legislation.
“I think the damages that follow from that will only be felt down the line,” he said.
Forrest says going forward, he’d like to see the government create legislation that would improve access to primary care, and make it easier for patients to see specialists like physiotherapists and psychologists.
He hopes that, through improvements, doctors in Quebec are able to take on more patients in a more effective way.