A model of medicine that could be school in Quebec

For almost 40 years, a unique service in Quebec has been offered in Saguenay. Jonquière-Medic, who deals with patients at home, without an appointment and free of charge, could soon help reduce the waiting lists for a family doctor in the region and perhaps one day.

Like every day of the week, Jonquière-Medic’s car is on the road early in the morning. Those who wish to obtain a visit to the doctor call for the distribution service from 7:30 a.m. first, first served.

It is a medicine that gives us a little bit of our comfort zoneexplains Dr. Dominic Gagnon. We arrive in residences that we do not know, with patients that we do not necessarily know too.

Our team accompanies him while his colleague and himself have to go to fifteen people that day. They stop, for example, at the home of Marie-Ève Cormier, whose 17-month-old has a persistent fever.

It’s hard to have an appointment automatically with a doctorsaid this mother. To have a consultation, I try all the time with Jonquière-Medic. It avoids me to go to the emergencyshe adds.

After a quick examination, the doctor made his diagnosis in a few minutes and the mother is finally relieved.

He will then go to another house, to a center of early childhood (CPE) and to a residence for the elderly (RPA).

I did emergency medicine practice for several yearssays Dr. Gagnon. I decided to participate in Jonquière-Medic because it was an experience that tried me, and I realized that it was very rewarding.

In the past and a half year, his team and himself saw nearly 7,400 patients. In several cases, they are young children or elders who have difficulty getting around.

Almost three -quarters of them would undoubtedly have gone to the emergency if it had not been this home visit, according to a survey led by the organization.

Support for orphaned patients

Born in 1982, this service has experienced certain difficulties over the years. Interrupted during the pandemic, it was relaunched in 2023 thanks in particular to the support of the community, which finances it with donations.

Today, Jonquière-Medic is preparing to take an important step since he wishes to have his computer system approved to the Ministry of Health, which would allow her to invoice the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) and take care of people registered at the access window (GAMF).

There are many orphaned patients in the regionrecalls the director general, Jo-Ann Duperré. So we would like to start with [en inscrire] A number of 500, maybe? Then may possibly increase as much as possible.

She also maintains that this would improve the remuneration of those who, like Dr. Gagnon, lend a hand to her team.

Since the reform of former Minister of Health Gaétan Barrette in 2015, she believes that caregivers at Jonquière-Medic have lost about half of their salary, which is an obstacle to recruitment.

It will be an incentive to bring doctors to do Jonquière-Medic with usshe believes. We would like to have a second car. More doctors, a second car, to be able to expand our customers.

Currently, the team has only five caregivers, but they would like to have double.

This is the main obstaclealso notes the deputy of Jonquière, Yannick Gagnon, about the remuneration, he who says he has hit the door of around thirty doctors before the revival of the service. It must be recognized that it is a particular medicine to which it may be necessary to attach recognition.

It must be ensured that this kind of medicine is recognized with an advantage [pécuniaire]he continues.

The ongoing negotiation between the Legault government and the Quebec Omnipractian Doctors Federation could allow, it believes, to further enhance home care.

Disadased compared to his colleagues who work for example in family medicine groups (GMF), Dr. Gagnon simply says he wants go into a joint zone.

A model reproduced elsewhere in Quebec?

The recipe for this success therefore seems to be based on dedicated doctors as well as on financial support from the community and the city of Saguenay, which offers it access to a room and certain services. In each municipality, it could be donejudge Jo-Ann Duperré.

It is the dream of implanting it elsewhere.

It is a system that has proven itself to unclog our systemsays MP Yannick Gagnon. I would tell you that Quebec, whatever the party, I am questioned, I feel that people have interest.

Jonquière-Medic embodies an innovative model that concretely meets the needs of the region’s populationwrote the cabinet of the Minister of Health in a declaration sent to Radio-Canada. It is an initiative that emerges from the field and that is promising.

It is a model that we want not only to maintain but whose development we will continue in the futurewe add.

The Federation of Omnipraticians in Quebec (FMOQ), however, estimates that Quebec is on the wrong track.

While the CAQwith Bill 106, wants to impose a medicine fast foodprojects like the one in Jonquière offer a solution based on the quality of services before volumeindicates his spokesperson, Stéphane Gosselin. The CAQ should listen more to the solutions proposed by those who treat the population.

In any case, if the Legault government wants to give access to a health professional to all Quebecers by 2026, this initiative could well serve as a solution as a solution.