Quebec health minister Christian Dub on Monday announced that regional medical staffing programs (PREM) would be adjusted to allow local authorities more independence in an effort to help them attract family doctors to their territories.

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Speaking to reporters at the Universit du Qubec Rimouski, Dub said the health ministry would also do its part to determine what medical services those doctors must commit to providing once they are hired in a region.

These PREMs impose a form of quota on the regions in order to distribute new physicians fairly, according to need. However, while the objective remains good in Dubs eyes, he conceded that the process has gotten bogged down over time.

The minister acknowledged it was important to change the way we work to make family medicine more attractive. To do this, Dub said he listened extensively to medical student associations as well as the Fdration des mdecins omnipraticiens du Qubec (FMOQ).

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Along with their clinical practices, family doctors must work on-call shifts in emergency rooms and long-term care centres. At the moment, those duties are assigned once the doctor arrives in a region. Henceforth, those tasks would be determined by prior agreement.

This new approach should allow new doctors to choose the region where they want to establish themselves according to their interests.

Furthermore, a new online tool is on the verge of being launched that will allow job offers in the regions for family doctors to be found in one place. The tool will eventually be made available for medical specialists.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, the president of the Fdration des mdecins rsidents du Qubec (FMRQ), Dr. Jessica Ruel-Lalibert, welcomed the ministers desire to simplify the process, which has become very cumbersome for a candidate aspiring to a career in family medicine.

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The official position of our members is that they want a process that is simpler. (Right now) its a multi-step process thats arduous and difficult to understand, she explained. Ruel-Lalibert remains cautious all the same and says she hopes that the changes will be applied this fall.

The FMRQ would also like candidates to be able to submit applications in more than one region from the first round when the available positions are announced. No announcement has yet been made in this regard.

The FMOQ believes these reductions are far from sufficient to make family medicine attractive. Its president, Dr. Marc-Andr Amyot, recalls having sent around 20 possible solutions to the minister.

Moreover, the lack of interest shown by residents was once again manifested in the results of the second round recently revealed by the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CARMS).

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In the end, 67 training places in family medicine in Quebec remained vacant. Following the first round, there were 99 vacancies.

Its still catastrophic! Amyot protested. How much in specialties? Zero!, he continued, pointing out that this number is higher than all the other Canadian provinces combined. According to CARMS data, 27 places remain unfilled at other Canadian universities, plus six places at the Universit de Sherbrooke dedicated to the Moncton region in New Brunswick.

According to Amyot, the key remains promoting the profession and encouraging candidates from remote regions. The FMOQ pleaded for the granting of places in faculties of medicine to candidates from various regions, then to offer them internships in their region and finally to offer them scholarships accompanied by a commitment to return to practice in their hometown.

Health content in the Presse Canadienne is financed by a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. Presse Canadienne is solely responsible for its editorial choices.

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Quebec to give regional health authorities more leeway to recruit family doctors - Montreal Gazette