Christian Dubé suggests transferring surgeries to Quebec’s private sector after a year of waiting

A patient who has been waiting a year for surgery in the public health network could be transferred to the private sector at public expense.

This is what the Canadian Press learned in a brief prepared by Health Minister Christian Dubé, which was presented to his Cabinet colleagues in July.

The document, which was only recently made public, led to the pre-publication of the Règlement sur l’accès aux services chirurgicaux. However, the latter has not yet been ratified by the Cabinet.

In his brief, Dubé points out that wait times for surgeries have increased during the pandemic.

As a result, many patients find themselves in a situation where their wait time “exceeds the prescribed time for surgery.”

According to Dubé’s plan, the first step will always be to attempt to schedule the surgery with the attending physician at the original public health facility.

In a second phase, an attempt will be made to find a place with another physician in the same institution or in another public hospital.

However, after one year, if the surgery still cannot be performed, “the user will be offered the option of consulting a non-participating physician and a non-participating (specialized medical center) who are competent and properly equipped to perform the surgery in question.”

In such a case, the fees of the physician performing the surgery will be covered by the government. Travel expenses may also be provided for the patient in certain situations.

On Thursday morning, Santé Québec confirmed the implementation of this gradual sequence, but did not specify whether the offer of transfer to the private sector will actually be made after a one-year wait.

In his brief, Dubé notes that recourse to the private sector is a “transitional measure that will disappear” as access times decrease.

Dubé often repeats that the private sector must complement the public system. Santé Québec has adopted much the same approach, although it still claims to be seeking balance.

In Dec. 2024, the Minister announced that he was expanding the list of operations that could be performed in private clinics, but at no cost to patients.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews