Quebec’s doctors and medical students are asking the government to extend public coverage to include all medical imaging.
Noting that a number of tests (ultrasounds, CT scans, and magnetic resonance imaging) are paid for by patients when they are conducted outside the hospital, doctors in the province are asking for these exceptions to the Health Insurance Act to be removed in order to improve patient access and the operation of the health system.
They also stress that covering ultrasounds is now possible because the costs and conditions have already been well defined.
“First, it’s a matter of fairness. Patients need to have access to tests based on their health needs and not on their financial means. The exception for outside hospital imaging therefore has no justification,” says Dr. Alain Vadeboncoeur, president of Médecins québécois pour le régime public (MQRP), the organization behind this stance.
“Quebec’s situation is unique in Canada. Better integration of Quebec’s many radiologists, technologists, and equipment will reduce wait times, but the government seems to be hesitating, so we have to see to it,” he says. “We believe that extending public coverage to all imaging is not only necessary but also easily achievable and relatively inexpensive, especially given its positive impacts on the health system.”
Dr. Dominique Deschênes, president of the Québec College of Family Physicians (CQMF), backed MQRP’s position: “The Québec College of Family Physicians supports this approach, which will promote equitable access to imaging for all patients and facilitate diagnostic procedures using imaging. This will enable family physicians to make their diagnoses more efficiently and meet people’s needs as quickly as possible. Furthermore, fewer patients will be referred to emergency for an ultrasound or treatment of complications related to the delays.”