Santé Québec to provide patients with their wait list status: health minister
Posted August 23, 2023 6:06 pm.
Barely 24 hours after having tabled a bundle of some 150 amendments to his health-care network reform, Health Minister Christian Dubé had more in store for parliamentarians Wednesday morning.
The Quebec government wants to ensure Santé Québec keeps patients well informed of their place on various wait lists.
Whether it be surgery, consultation with a specialist or youth protection services, each request for service will be classified by level of priority. Then, according to the trend observed in the patient’s region, they will be told the average wait time.
In addition, the health minister would like the agency in charge of health network operations to keep patients “informed of the progress” of their request – a process for the patient to know if progress has been made on the wait list.
In response to the many questions from the Opposition, Dubé insisted on having Santé Québec inform patients of their level of priority, the average waiting time and the progress of their file.
Liberal MP André Fortin argued for the addition of a periodic updating obligation, which was not retained, but which could be determined by regulation.
The adoption of articles 62 and 63 gave the members of the Commission de la santé et des services sociaux a challenge, since elected officials see it as a real means of improving access to care.
“We have not finished digesting the 150 (amendments) of yesterday that we are being asked to digest a new one this morning. It is not easy to work in these circumstances”, said Québec solidaire MNA Vincent Marissal, adding the articles were “very important.”
The elected official for Rosemont also wondered about Minister Dubé’s intentions in his approach – is it about informing patients or giving them better access to care, he wondered.
—This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
