Family physicians regret not being part of the crisis department

On October 26, Health Minister Christian Dubey announced the creation of a crisis unit to improve the situation in emergencies, but surprisingly, only one family doctor was invited.

• Also Read: Christian Dube’s multidisciplinary team is here to prevent a crisis in Greater Montreal’s emergency rooms

• Also Read: Extreme emergencies: “The composition of the committee makes me questionable,” said one nurse

• Also Read: Crisis in the emergency room: We look at the problem upside down

Medical District Emergency Department Medical Director Dr. Georges Jarour, in a letter to Minister Dubey, lamented the situation and referred to “a significant deficiency in terms of first-line representation” in the crisis cell committee.

“We are the solution. We see over 75,000 patients a year. In the emergency room alone, we see 20,000 patients a year who do not have a family physician. Last year we saw over 6,000 patients at our designated pediatric clinic,” explained Dr Zaroor.

In addition to these large volumes, the super-clinic can provide exceptional follow-up, which helps relieve the health system in the long run.

“The beauty of GMF-R or Super Clinic is that we are able to provide continuity of care to this patient. We’ll see that in the emergency room, and then, if there’s a follow-up — if it’s a follow-up, two follow-ups, three follow-ups — we’ll be able to provide this solution to prevent the patient from having to. Go to the emergency room again,” he explained.

Dr Zaraur approached Mr Dubey to invite family doctors to the crisis unit committee.

“We must have representation. GMF-R, we are a flexible, sensitive structure, we are open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. We must attend.

GMF District Medical was launched in June 2020 and has more than 50 health professionals.

In 2 years, they have registered more than 24,000 patients, in addition to being open to the public, a panacea for some, as the waiting time to consult a doctor is significantly shorter.

“I’d rather come here than the emergency room. It’s so fast here,” said Miriam Belisle Dorey, a mother of two, who received pediatric emergency counseling “within five minutes, not even,” she noted.