Quebec has officially approved a law that requires doctors to work in the Public Health Care System for five years after obtaining a medical title in the province.
The bill 83, adopted Thursday by a vote of 72 to 30, intends to improve access to medical care for Quebeños by preventing doctors from leaving the public system for the private system.
“The Universal Medical Care System, funded by Quebec people, must allow everyone to consult a doctor when they need it,” said Health Minister Christian Dubé, in a statement.
“The private sector can help support the public network: we will ensure that this contribution is complementary, always in the interest of Quebec patients.”
Quebec Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, presented a bill that would force the graduates of the School of Medicine in the province to spend their first five years working in the Public Health Care System.
Bill 83 also requires doctors to request the approval of Santé Québec, the Crown Corporation that executes the health network to practice in the private system.
Santé Québec will approve or reject the request of a doctor based on the following criteria:
- The number of doctors available in a region.
- The deviation of the public system doctor cannot lead to negative consequences for patients in that region.
- The inability of the public network to use this doctor in the establishments of that region.
The law, entitled a law to promote the practice of medicine in the Public Health and Social Services Network, includes the threat of fines for doctors who violate it. The fines, which could be applied to doctors who practice in the private system before spending five years in the public system, vary from $ 20,000 to $ 100,000 per day, with repeated crimes incurred in fines from $ 40,000 to $ 200,000.
According to the Ministry of Health and Social Services, more than 835 of the 22,868 Quebec doctors currently work exclusively in the private network, an increase of 80 percent since 2020.
