Published October 29, 2024

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

Up to 36 new family doctors could set up practice in the region in the next year as part of the provincial government’s Plan regionaux d’effectifs médicaux (PREM).

The plan, which was recently released by the Ministère de la Santé, allocates the distribution of 458 new family doctors geographically and equitably across the province for 2025.

Up to 91 new doctors could become established in the Montérégie region, including six in the Haut-Saint-Laurent local service network (RLS), seven to the Suroît RLS, 11 to the Vaudreuil-Soulanges RLS, and 12 in the Jardins-Roussillon RLS. At least seven of these positions have already been filled by practising physicians.

The PREM authorizes an annual recruitment target for each administrative region or service network while considering the mobility of existing doctors, anticipated retirements, and the expected number of new physicians.

The number of positions allocated to the region in 2025 is significantly higher than those established for 2024, which allowed for the recruitment of just ten new positions between the four local service networks.

“Our goal is to better meet the needs of each region by making the practice of family medicine more attractive to future family physicians,” said health minister Christian Dubé. “These changes are important and will have tangible benefits for both health-care staff and patients in the various regions of Quebec. We’re adapting, for patients and staff alike,” he said, noting it was the right thing to do.

Huntingdon MNA Carole Mallette is especially appreciative of the potential increase in the number of doctors. “This is excellent news, because the number of patients without a family doctor is considerable, especially in the Jardins-de-Napierville region,” she explained.

“Since doctors are self-employed and choose where they practice, we’re very keen to see them choose our region. Our recruitment experts, Fabienne Djandji and Félix Le-Phat-Ho, have our full confidence in not only attracting these doctors, but also convincing them to stay and invest in our community,” added Mallette.

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