According to the CISSS de la Montérégie-Centre, just over 27% of Haut-Richelieu-Rouville residents do not have a primary care doctor. To meet the health needs of these approximately 53,800 people without their own doctor, the CISSS offers several options. The mobile clinic, walk-in clinics and the First Line Access Counter (GAP) are among the list of services that people can access by calling 811 or making an appointment online.

“The proportion of patients who have a family doctor is greater. We are talking about almost three quarters of the population of Haut-Richelieu-Rouville, with 143,819 patients. Patients without a family doctor are asked to call 811 for advice or to make an appointment. A nurse will carry out a clinical assessment of the patient. This is a service that allows you to go to the right place,” says Véronique Guimont, director of hospital services and general frontline services at the CISSS de la Montérégie-Centre.

The nurse or telephone operator offers patients several options for addressing their health problem: visiting a pharmacist, making an emergency appointment at an outpatient clinic, or going directly to the hospital emergency room, depending on the severity of the illness.

The figures obtained from the CISSS Montérégie-Centre only take into account the population entitled to RAMQ as of August 30, 2024. Haut-Richelieu-Rouville covers the area from Chambly in the north to Lacolle in the south and from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu in Saint-Césaire.

Waiting list

Of the 53,800 people without a family doctor in Haut-Richelieu-Rouville, 67% are on the waiting list for a family doctor, or 36,224 people.

“We invite those who do not have a GP to register on the waiting list at the GP access desk. We have a consent form that allows us to give an appointment to patients who do not have a GP. This allows them to have access to various health professionals, even if they do not have a doctor. An interesting service, especially for people with fragile health,” says Ms Guimont.

She stresses the importance of having access to other health professionals through the GAP. According to her, 50% of patients who apply for GAP do not need to see a doctor. “Often the clinical nurse or another professional such as a physiotherapist or social worker is able to respond to the patient’s problems or direct us to the right contact point. “We want to give the doctor time to deal with the problems that concern him,” she adds.

Patients at risk

Of the total number of patients waiting to see a GP, the CISSS Montérégie-Centre has a list of vulnerable patients. For Haut-Richelieu-Rouville, 728 users are on the waiting list. These people have a registration priority, depending on the severity of their health problem, ranging from seven days to more than two weeks, to access a GP.

“The Family Doctor Access Center (GAMF) takes several criteria into account to decide on priority codes for access to a family doctor. We, the CISSS Montérégie-Centre, have our own criteria to decide whether a patient is at risk. For example, a patient who has a mental health problem and a lung disease is a patient at risk. More attention will be paid to this type of patient. We will take measures to stay close to them and provide them with active support,” stresses Ms. Guimont.

GAP

In Haut-Richelieu-Rouville, the Front Line Access Counter offers patients 15,654 annual medical appointments, of which 7,080 are provided by GAP clinic nurses in CLSCs and 3,060 in the mobile clinic.

“It is important to register at the First Line Access Desk. It is important for us to be able to list the information. Since the implementation of the GAP, we have been able to take more targeted and effective measures for our patients. When the patient has a need, we respond better by directing them to the right professional,” concluded the Director of Hospital Services and General Front Services at the CISSS de la Montérégie-Centre.

For more information on the services offered, citizens can consult the Santé Montérégie portal (santemonteregie.qc.ca), which contains explanatory videos on the various services and health advice.