At the end of the Canadian Resident Matching Service’s (CARMS) first round of selection of prospective physicians, there remain 99 vacancies for family medicine physicians on Quebec faculties.

This platform is used to match medical students and faculties based on the choice of specialties expressed by prospective residents. In comparison, only 12 specialist positions remain vacant after the first round.

This is another disappointment for the FMOQ, as more than 500 residential places have not found any interested parties for ten years. A second round should fill some of the available positions, but it will take about a month for an update on the situation.

“We will fill some, but we will not fill all,” warns FMOQ President D^R Marc-Andre Amyot.

Called by The Canadian Press to comment on the situation, Quebec medical schools correctly responded that they would await the outcome of the second round before making a decision.

However, according to FMOQ, we are observing that more and more students are choosing to take a sabbatical or work in a laboratory before trying their luck in another specialty, rather than choosing family medicine as a second choice.

According to D^R Amyot, a certain denigration of family medicine has left its mark over time. Additionally, the seriousness of the task may deter some young doctors who see the population aging and the need for medical care increasing.

Additionally, the limitations associated with GP practice, including the paperwork and lack of support resources, may dampen some candidates’ enthusiasm.

He dreams of a better organization of services so that patient follow-up can be carried out by nurses, nutritionists or pharmacists according to the patient’s needs. From experience, he argues that medical students want to practice medicine all the time, rather than filling out forms, refilling prescriptions, or doing other related tasks.

About 1,100 GPs are missing, according to FMOQ, just to restore equality with Quebec’s specialists. This calculation also does not take into account the expected losses of doctors who are about to retire.

“And that’s underestimated! I’m telling you, it’s underestimated,” hammers the D^R Amyot practicing in the Lanaudière region.

If we refer to the “Regional Physician Personnel Plans (PREM) in General Medicine” 2023 of the Department of Health and Social Services, there are 55 places available for general practitioners in middle and remote regions and 58 places for doctors already resident in practice in university and peripheral regions .

In addition, there are 30 barrier-free places for new doctors in the university and peripheral regions.

The aim of these PREMs is to distribute the workforce fairly among the regions of Quebec. A doctor needs to secure a place to set up his primary care practice. If he settles in a region where no places are available, the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec will reduce his salary by 30% for a period of five years, the D specifies^R Amyot.

The FMOQ would like to see this approach modified to encourage the implementation of incentives rather than sanctions.

He adds that these benefits don’t have to be just monetary. The FMOQ proposes the use of seduction measures such as scholarships for students from the regions, daycare places when returning to the hometown, summer jobs in the health system of their region in order to maintain solidarity.

These proposals will be the subject of exchanges between the federal government and the ministry, said the D^R Amyot hoping to reverse the trend.

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