Latest news with #medicalshortage
CTV News
10 hours ago
- Health
- CTV News
New study shows fewer Quebecers have access to family doctors
A growing number of Quebecers are finding themselves without a family doctor, according to recent numbers from the Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ). According to the agency, the percentage of residents with a family doctor has dropped from 82 per cent in 2019 to 72 per cent in 2024. Montrealer Dominick Mikkelson lost his family doctor two years ago when they switched to private practice. 'So unless I want to pay private fees, I'm left without a family doctor,' he said. 'It's been frustrating.' Situation is 'unconscionable' Dr. Michael Kalin, a Montreal-based family physician, called the situation 'unconscionable.' 'Well, if we have 750,000 Montrealers without access to family medicine right now, we need 480 family doctors,' he said. '[Assuming] that each of these new family doctors will take 1,500 patients.' The ISQ point to several reasons for the decline. For one, many doctors are retiring and newer doctors are choosing to take on fewer patients. Dr. Kalin says one major reason is that family doctors are required to split their time between different responsibilities, including working at the hospital and long-term care facilities. 'Family doctors are not spending five days of the week working in community practice,' he explained. 'They have to balance that, and this is why they can't take on that huge load of the larger practices.' Patients who are followed by a team of doctors rather than a single doctor are not included in the official count. The ISQ also states this as one of the reasons for the decline. Calls for accountability Patients' rights advocate Paul Brunet says accountability is lacking. 'I'm fed up with this. I just want more accountability. If you don't do the job and you don't get the results that we need everyone to get, well, there's going to be consequences,' said Brunet. Dr. Kalin believes the system itself is preventing progress. 'We put in place this ridiculous system that allows the government to determine the number of doctors where they can practice and their movement, and this discourages young doctors,' said Dr. Kalin. In a statement to CTV News, Quebec's Health Ministry wrote, 'The numbers are clear: too many Quebec patients still can't get an appointment when they need one. We can no longer continue with the current model. That's why we will continue to make the necessary changes to improve access to care for all patients, with the aim of ensuring that all Quebec patients are taken care of.' As for Mikkelson, who is Indigenous, he's now turning to an alternative source of care. He has been going to the Indigenous Health Centre of Tiohtia:ke for his health needs and is planning to become an official patient there. 'That is something that I am looking into,' said Mikkelson.
BBC News
20-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Syria sees 'cautious calm' in Suweida after deadly clashes
A "cautious calm" has returned to the Syrian city of Suweida after a week of deadly tribal clashes between Druze fighters, Bedouin gunmen and government forces, a UK-based monitoring group has reported that fighting stopped on Sunday as Syria's Islamist-led government declared the Bedouins had withdrawn from the predominantly Druze city "after days of bloody battles and chaos", the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) followed a ceasefire announced by Syria's president on Saturday, which did not quell fighting straight away. More than 1,000 people have been killed in the clashes and there is now a severe shortage of medical supplies in the city, the SOHR added. "Activists have reported that Suweida has been experiencing a cautious calm since the early hours of Sunday morning," the monitoring group said. "Meanwhile, the Syrian government security forces closed roads leading to Suweida to tribes, using soil barriers to prevent vehicles from crossing, except for ambulances, in a move to contain tensions." SOHR added that the city remains under the control of local Druze fighters, while tribal gunmen have withdrawn from several areas within the tensions between Druze and Bedouin tribes erupted into deadly sectarian clashes a week ago, after the abduction of a Druze merchant on the road to the capital Damascus. Both Druze and Bedouin fighters have been accused of atrocities over the past seven Saturday, Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced a ceasefire and sent security forces to Suweida to end the fighting. It has been reported that Druze fighters pushed Bedouin gunmen out of the city on Saturday evening - but violence continued in other parts of the province. This has not been verified by the Sunday morning, fighting could not be heard, AFP correspondents near Suweida the SOHR warned that the humanitarian situation in the city was worsening, pointing to a "severe shortage" of basic medical supplies. An unnamed resident said that aid was needed immediately, telling the Reuters news agency: "The smell of corpses is spread throughout the national hospital."Kenan Azzam, a local dentist speaking as the city was gripped by what he called a "tense calm", said the hospitals were "a disaster and out of service".A Suweida medic told AFP that "no relief or medical assistance" had entered the city before Sunday.
