Some doctors skeptical of Quebec’s pledge to soften controversial health-care bill

Some doctors in western Quebec say they’re unconvinced by the province’s promise that it won’t apply certain aspects of a controversial new health-care law.

Bill 2, which was adopted Oct. 25 and is set to take effect in the new year, links doctors’ compensation to performance targets relating to the number of patients they care for. It also imposes fines of up to $500,000 per day on doctors who take “concerted action” to challenge the government’s policies.

Shortly after it was passed, the province agreed to two concessions: maintaining a premium paid to specialists when patients are referred to them by a family doctor, and continuing to pay a 30 per cent office expense subsidy directly to doctors rather than to their family medicine group.

On Thursday, the province also said it would back off on a plan to assign inspectors and to ensure doctors are following the law.

Despite the province’s assurances, however, those elements have not been removed from the legislation, and some doctors fear they could be resurrected.

We’ve fought all we can, and now this is just a kick in the face, where they’re blaming us for their failings– Dr. Trevor Hennessey

“This makes no sense,” said Dr. Trevor Hennessey, currently chief of the department of anesthesiology for Centre intégré de santé et services sociaux de l’Outaouais (CISSSO), the region’s health network. (Hennessey has submitted his resignation and will leave his job at the end of December.)

“The physicians in our region have done amazing with what resources we have, but we’re tired, we’re exhausted. We’ve fought all we can, and now this is just a kick in the face, where they’re blaming us for their failings.”

It’s a sentiment shared by Jean Pigeon, a spokesperson for the health-care advocacy group SOS Outaouais.

“It’s based on performance, solely performance, and we’re putting that burden onto the doctors for them to perform in this environment. If not, they’ll be sanctioned,” he said.

“What we’re asking as a coalition, [the law] needs to be suspended and to create a better environment to discuss better accessibility for doctors.”

Changes to law ‘not enough’

Dr. Isabelle Gagnon, a family physician and chief of general medicine at CISSSO, doesn’t believe such minor modifications will make much of a difference to Bill 2’s overall impact.

“We are profoundly shocked by the attitude of the government during all the negotiations this fall,” she said, calling on the province to demonstrate its respect for Quebec’s doctors.

“So no, it’s not enough for me.”

Without a more substantial overhaul, Gagnon said she’s concerned Bill 2 could hamper efforts to attract doctors to the province, at a time when many existing ones are fleeing.

“We already have a doctor from France that said he doesn’t want to come anymore because of [Bill 2],” she said. “So it’s really dangerous to let that [law] continue. Every day is a day that we waste.”