Every Quebecer will now be affiliated with a local community service centre (CLSC) in their area to receive care close to home. This was announced Friday morning by the Minister of Health when she unveiled the government’s policy on primary care and services.
“To realize our vision of a frontline close to the community, we will ensure that CLSCs can once again become a physical gateway for access to frontline services for all those who need them,” said Health Minister Sonia Bélanger at a press conference, adding that “CLSCs are a source of pride for Quebecers, a founding idea of our public system.”
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Furthermore, within five years, the government aims to add approximately 100 “integrated entry points” for a total of 205 across all regions of Quebec. Currently, 88 of these are accessible in nine regions.
The Quebec Provincial Association of Users’ Committees (RPCU) reacted Friday in a press release. It believes the government’s intention is good, but criticizes the timeline it has set for itself: “Users of the network cannot afford to wait a full decade before seeing concrete results.”
Minister Bélanger also announced the deployment of eight new nurse practitioner (NP) clinics in the Bas-Saint-Laurent, Laurentides, Gaspésie, Montérégie-Ouest, Lanaudière, and Bellechasse-Sud regions, as well as in Estrie and Montreal. By 2030, there will therefore be 26 NP clinics in Quebec.
At the same time, Bélanger indicated that the Your Health platform would soon be deployed on a larger scale in Quebec. For now, two Your Health pilot projects have been launched in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region and the municipality of Saint-Donat.
“We are well aware that some citizens prefer to use digital or telephone access points. That is why I am announcing that we will be deploying Your Health, which is already launched in two regions and will soon become the only user-friendly and efficient digital access point for all of Quebec. Your Health is a platform that brings together all online services, including the Health Booklet, Clic Santé and Rendez-Vous Santé, as well as a technological tool for self-care,” Bélanger explained.
The deployment of the Your Health platform was an election promise of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) in 2022, which at the time spoke of a “real revolution” that would allow Quebecers “to obtain a medical appointment in person or via telehealth in a single simple and easy step.”
—The Canadian Press’s health coverage is supported by a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for this journalistic content.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
