A family medicine clinic in Montreal is facing closure due to financial pressures caused by Bill 2, along with approximately 40 other clinics in Quebec. The Santé Mont-Royal clinic is set to shut down on April 1, anticipating a significant revenue loss once Bill 2 is fully implemented in the new year.
Introduced in October, Bill 2 links part of doctors’ salaries to meeting performance targets, a change that critics argue unfairly burdens already struggling clinics. Dr. Mark Buch, the medical director and co-owner of Santé Mont-Royal, expressed concerns about the impact of the new law on their ability to provide quality care, emphasizing that the performance targets are quantity-driven rather than focusing on patient well-being.
The pressure from Bill 2 adds to the existing challenges faced by family doctors in Quebec, who are already required to fulfill government-assigned duties outside their clinics, such as emergency room shifts. Dr. Buch highlighted the strain that these additional demands place on physicians, ultimately affecting the care they can provide to over 24,000 patients at his clinic.
The potential closure of around 40 clinics across the province, including La Licorne in Ville-Marie, which specializes in STI screenings, could have dire consequences for patient access to essential services. Dr. Robert Pilarski from La Licorne raised concerns about the impact of reduced government funding on patient care, warning that a decrease in resources could lead to a rise in STIs and new HIV infections.
Patients’ rights advocate Paul Brunet emphasized the potential chaos that could ensue if numerous clinics are forced to shut down, leaving thousands of patients without vital healthcare services. The closure of these clinics not only threatens patients’ access to care but also poses a risk of overwhelming an already strained healthcare system in Quebec.
