Canada Pledges Nearly $4B to Improve Healthcare in Quebec

To improve timely access to high-quality healthcare in Quebec, the Canadian government signed two bilateral agreements with the province to invest more than $3.7 billion in federal funding in coming years, according to a recent announcement.

The two agreements represent the first funding to be provided under the government’s commitment to invest $6.7 billion in Quebec over 10 years. The first agreement includes $2.5 billion to support the 2023-2027 strategic plan of Quebec’s Department of Health and Social Services. The second agreement provides $1.2 billion for Quebec’s five-year action plan to help people age with dignity close to home through home care or a long-term care facility.

“Quebecers deserve to have access to the healthcare they need, regardless of their age or place of residence,” Mark Holland, Canada’s minster of health, said in a statement.

“Thanks to this collaboration between our two governments, the federal government will invest billions over the next few years in Quebec’s healthcare system,” he said. “This will help meet Quebec’s unique needs by improving access to healthcare, optimizing communications through a digital shift, and enabling our seniors to age with dignity.”

The agreements were announced online on March 27.

“These bilateral agreements are a great first step as we keep pushing for health system stabilization,” Kathleen Ross, MD, a family physician in Coquitlam and New Westminster, British Columbia, and president of the Canadian Medical Association, (which serves as the provincial medical association for physicians in Quebec), told Medscape Medical News. 

“But this is where the hard work begins,” she said. “We need transparent and measurable goals that allow Canadians to know that their dollars are being spent in the areas of greatest need and that their dollars are making a difference.”

Strategic Plan Initiatives

Under its strategic plan, Quebec has identified 25 indicators and targets that are also appended to the bilateral agreement. Their aim is to boost healthcare information access and continuous improvement initiatives across the healthcare system.

For instance, the strategic plan pledges to improve access to family healthcare by opening new frontline clinics and adding new doctors, developing a platform to increase the ease of booking appointments, introducing a helicopter medical transport service, and improving care for patients with rare or chronic diseases.

“Every Quebecer should have access to comprehensive care provided by a team of family doctors for nonurgent health concerns, including in rural and remote areas,” the office of the minister of health told Medscape Medical News. “Federal funding allocated to Quebec will help in the establishment of new frontline access clinics, integration of specialized nurse practitioners, and the reinforcement of other essential frontline roles.”

Quebec faces a unique challenge in primary health care, Ross noted. The province has a shortage of about 1200 general practitioners, and nearly two thirds of its physicians report signs of burnout. In 2022, the government and family physicians began a collaboration to find primary care “homes” for patients, which led to increases in primary care visits and in the likelihood of concentrated visits with one physician, though there’s more room for improvement. 

“I certainly know that the government wants to improve access to care, which is important, but there’s a long road and lots to be done,” said Ross. “I’d really encourage the government in Quebec to consider close collaboration with primary care providers to work together on solutions.”

The strategic plan also includes provisions to reduce surgical and diagnostic backlogs. The bilateral agreement lists goals such as maintaining the new approach developed for vaccination and screening by extending its scope to other frontline services, as well as updating the emergency measures plan and the supply of personal protective equipment. However, other details around surgical backlogs weren’t mentioned.

“There wasn’t a whole lot of meat on the bones for this particular component,” Ross said. “The announcement didn’t provide many specifics.”

Federal funding will also be directed toward strengthening mental health and social services by enhancing support for community organizations, increasing homelessness and addiction services, creating new respite care spaces for parents of disabled children, and strengthening services for troubled youth.

“We’re very interested to understand what the enhanced support for community organizations would look like,” said Ross. “While support for formal programs around homelessness and addiction provide a foundational backbone, many of the other services in our community are delivered by not-for-profit organizations, so we’ll be following what support they’re providing on the ground.”

Additional Initiatives

Funding will also support a digital shift across the healthcare system, with the aim of finalizing an easy-to-use interface for patients and providers. The transition will be piloted at two facilities and then rolled out across the full network.

“Under this agreement, Quebec has committed to collaborating with the Canadian Institute for Health Information to advance the development, use, and sharing of common indicators for its health and social services,” the Office of the Minister of Health told Medscape Medical News. “This collaborative effort aims to enhance transparency, facilitate the exchange of best practices, and foster ongoing enhancements in the healthcare system.”

Ross applauded the support of health technology and data across the healthcare system.

“I’m pleased to see the commitment to sharing and collecting data, as well as making it more available to individuals,” she said. “It’s a great first step.”

Finally, the second bilateral agreement aims to improve access to home and community care as Canadians age, increasing the availability of short-term, long-term, and palliative care. Funding will also support improvements to the safety and quality of life for residents in long-term care facilities.

“Quebec’s long-term care facilities were hit the hardest during COVID, and this will support senior homes and alternative housing,” said Ross. “It’s important that we made this commitment to focusing on Quebec’s aging population and ensuring that people have safe and adequate housing.”

Carolyn Crist is a health and medical journalist who reports on the latest studies for Medscape, MDedge, and WebMD.