Medical groups outraged at Quebec bill forcing gag order and new compensation system for doctors

Medical groups in Quebec and across Canada are expressing outrage after the passing of Bill 2 in Quebec, which unilaterally imposes a new remuneration system and sets penalties against doctors who use pressure tactics against the government.The bill, which passed in the early hours of the morning on Saturday, would tie 15% of doctors’ compensation to certain performance metrics, such as the number of patients seen. The Canadian Medical Association warns that it could “worsen access to care and increase pressure on health professionals.”Read: Quebec adopts special bill to impose new compensation system on doctors“It risks exacerbating the sense of discouragement and disengagement already felt by members of Quebec’s medical community. The resulting uncertainty could push many physicians to retire early or leave Quebec for other provinces, further weakening an already strained healthcare system,” the CMA said in a news release Saturday, while calling on Quebec to implement an independent arbitration mechanism like every other province.The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada also released a statement taking issue with the performance targets, arguing that the bill “ignores the broader contributions that physicians make.“It also signals to physicians that their professional contributions—including non-clinical ones such as teaching, mentoring, research and system leadership—are not valued by government policy,” the Royal College said.In the leadup to this bill, as talks with the government had been at a standstill, doctors in Quebec were refusing to participate in medical training. With the passing of this bill, such work-to-rule tactics and other “concerted actions” are banned. Individual doctors can be fined between $4,000 and $20,000 for violating this, while groups can face fines of $100,000 to $500,000.Choosing to leave the province to practice elsewhere could also be considered a “concerted action” resulting in fines if the government determines it is part of an “organized movement.” The Montreal Gazette reported that the province will create a surveillance system to examine the motivations of departing doctors.The College of Family Physicians of Canada called the legislation “authoritarian” and said Premier François Legault’s government has shown “nothing but disrespect for Quebec's doctors.”“The unremitting attacks on Quebec physicians must cease. We are well past concern, dismay, and frustration,” the college said in its statement.Both the Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec (FMOQ) representing family doctors and the Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec (FMSQ) representing specialists have announced that they plan on challenging the bill in court. “This is a very dark day for family medicine,” the FMOQ said in a letter to members on Saturday. “We know your anger is immense. It is legitimate. But it is essential that it be directed towards the one truly responsible for the current state of affairs: the government. It is the government that chooses confrontation over collaboration. It is the one that bludgeons doctors and chooses to make them the enemies of Quebecers.”

Medical groups outraged at Quebec bill forcing gag order and new compensation system for doctors

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