Pierrefonds walk-in service at risk as Quebec puts focus on superclinics
Like thousands of others, Guy Roussy goes to a clinic in Pierrefonds that accepts walk-in patients.
"I get a good service here and I can get an appointment right away," Roussy said.
However that may not be possible for much longer.
The clinic, Medistat, could soon be forced to turn away patients without an appointment because of provincial government cuts.
Last year, close to 16,000 people showed up at Medistat without an appointment -- and 11,000 of those weren't even registered.
Under Health Minister Gaétan Barrette, the Quebec government is focusing on creating more superclinics, which are open 12 hours per day, seven days a week.
The superclinics are meant to relieve pressure on emergency rooms.
Dr. Orly Hermon, a family doctor at Medistat Clinic, said the province plans to cut her clinic's entire budget for walk-ins, leaving it with a $250,000 shortfall.
"We are hoping not to close. That is our goal. We would still like to be open and open to the public. How we're going to do that is left to be determined. It's going to be rocky. It's going to be a transition," she said.
Hermon says the government would be wise to keep funding network clinics as a compliment to superclinics.
She's worried about where the clinic's 11,000 walk-in patients will go if Medistat turns them away.
"Will they bombard the superclinics now? Will they end up in emergency rooms? That is the concern," she said.
Quebec Health Minister Gaetan Barrette was not made available for comment on Tuesday.
