More than 895,000 patients waiting to see medical specialist in Quebec

More than 895,000 patients are waiting to see a specialist in Quebec, according to the most recent data from the Ministry of Health.

That’s nearly 200,000 more patients than three years ago.

The number of patients seen within the waiting period has been relatively stable in recent years, while the trend of patients waiting beyond the waiting period is increasing.

As of Dec. 14, 2024, nearly 340,000 Quebecers were considered beyond the waiting period, which represents 62 per cent of patients waiting for a consultation with a specialist. The Ministry of Health’s target is to reach 35 per cent of patients waiting beyond the waiting period by March 31, 2025.

The specialists with the most waiting consultations are ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists.

Nearly 121,000 patients are waiting to see an ENT specialist, more than half of whom are beyond the waiting period. Dermatology is the second most sought-after specialty with 110,000 patients on the waiting list, including 73,000 who were out of time.

The ministry’s dashboard also indicates that the number of consultations carried out by specialist doctors has been increasing since last summer. They have gone from 49,000 as of Aug. 24 to nearly 64,000 as of Dec. 14.

As for surgeries, there have been more operations performed since August, reaching nearly 40,000 surgeries in mid-December. This seems to have an impact on the number of patients on the waiting list; they have gone from 162,000 as of Sept. 21 to just over 155,000 as of Dec. 14.

Fewer patients waiting for over a year

Another positive indicator is that the number of patients waiting for surgery for over a year has dropped significantly. Approximately 8,800 patients are in this situation and the ministry’s target is to reach 2,300 patients by March 31, 2025.

Last week, Health Minister Christian Dubé welcomed this result. “Fewer than 10,000 people have now been waiting for surgery for over a year, a first since 2020. Thank you to the staff involved. We are continuing to work to reach our targets and ensure that no one has to wait that long,” he wrote on the social network X.

Avec Santé Québec, nous avons la meilleure équipe en place pour obtenir des résultats pour les Québécois. Moins de 10 000 personnes attendent maintenant une chirurgie depuis plus d’un an, une première depuis 2020. Merci au personnel impliqué. Nous continuons le travail pour… pic.twitter.com/oKT0a3XjwF

— Christian Dubé (@cdube_sante) January 8, 2025

Last November, Dubé acknowledged that the government’s target for catching up on surgeries would not be reached in Dec. 2024. After missing his targets for 2021 and 2022, the minister wanted to reduce the number of patients waiting for surgery to 2,500 by Dec. 31, 2024.

It should be noted that the Fédération des médecins spécialisé du Québec (FMSQ) has still not reached a framework agreement with the government, an agreement that expired on April 1, 2023. This agreement governs, among other things, the remuneration of specialist physicians.

On the X platform, the FMSQ announced last week that in 2024, approximately 30 per cent of the network’s 563 operating rooms would be closed due to lack of staff. “Specialist doctors are ready to operate and the funds to pay the staff are available. It is now up to Santé Québec to operationalize the catch-up of surgeries and ensure the opening of additional rooms,” wrote the federation.

En 2024, environ 30% des 563 salles d’opération du réseau étaient fermées, faute de personnel. Les médecins spécialistes sont prêts à opérer et les fonds pour payer le personnel sont disponibles. Il revient maintenant à Santé Québec d’opérationnaliser le rattrapage des chirurgies… pic.twitter.com/8OSceDqFch

— FMSQ (@FMSQ) January 9, 2025

The vice-president of the FMSQ, Dr. Serge Legault, added to this issue. “We have been telling the ministry for 4 years that we are there to operate, we will always be there, we have not broken our word. But now, the ministry or Santé Québec must organize so that the staff is present. It will not be a problem to pay them, the amounts are already provided,” he said on X.

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–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews