More than half of patients avoid consulting a doctor due to lack of access
Posted March 17, 2025 1:56 pm.
Access to healthcare in the public network is deteriorating, according to a new survey by SOM, commissioned by the Collège des médecins du Québec (CMQ).
The results, released on Monday, show that over the past 12 months, more than half of the population who wanted to consult a doctor for a health problem were unable to do so because of difficulties in accessing care.
More specifically, of those who wanted to see a doctor but did not, a third were unable to get a medical appointment, and 21 per cent felt that it would take too long to get one. Two-thirds of respondents said they had a family doctor.
The data also shows that 26 per cent of patients have decided to see a doctor privately, while in 2022, 14 per cent of respondents had paid a fee for their most recent medical consultation.
“We are increasingly concerned about problems of access to healthcare. In 2022, our survey revealed that the population felt that they did not have access to the healthcare network within a reasonable time. This year, the situation is hardly any better: it even seems to have deteriorated,” said Dr. Mauril Gaudreault, President of the CMQ, in a press release.
In fact, 40 per cent of the population had felt the need to consult a healthcare professional but had not done so in 2022, whereas this rate has risen to 54 per cent this year.
“More than ever, the government needs to implement concrete measures to better meet the health needs of the population,” added Dr. Gaudreault.
The SOM survey was conducted online between February 28 and March 10, 2025. In all, 1,256 CMQ members and 1031 members of the public took part.
When asked to comment on certain measures proposed by the government or the Collège, a majority of doctors felt that the most relevant measure would be to relax the requirements relating to regional medical manpower plans (PREM).
The PREMs require any new general practitioner wishing to set up in a practice region to request a notice of compliance from the regional department of general medicine.
If they do not obtain a notice of compliance, for example, if the needs are met in the region where they want to set up, the doctor will see a significant reduction in his or her remuneration. Among other things, the PREMs enable family doctors to be better distributed across the regions of Quebec.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
