Irshadgul News report,
The Quebec government has confirmed that a pilot project aimed at cutting patient wait times for health care and easing pressure on Quebec City’s overcrowded emergency rooms will continue past its deadline.
Touted as the first of its kind in the province, the minor emergency clinic at Jeffrey Hale Hospital was launched to allow rapid access to health-professionals for people with an illness who require emergency care. The position was not considered.
Nearly 20,000 patients have received care at the clinic since the pilot project’s launch last May. It was supposed to end at the end of May this year.
Patrick Fortin, the clinic’s services manager, says the project has helped ease the burden on overcrowded emergency rooms and given doctors without family members a place to go other than the ER.
He says patients can be seen more quickly, because if a nurse, pharmacist or physiotherapist can address a patient’s concern, they can do so without waiting to see a doctor.
“It’s a new vision, it’s innovative, it’s going to be a solution,” Fortin said. “The main objective is to answer the accessibility for our customers [and] population.”
So he is relieved to hear that the clinic will continue to operate after May, saying he believes the model can be used in hospitals across the province.
Health Minister Christian Dubey recently visited the hospital and said he too found the project to be a “solid option” for patients, calling it an “essential service” for people in Quebec City.
The health ministry says it will analyze the results of the pilot project during the summer and fall before deciding whether similar clinics can be set up elsewhere in the province.