Thank you, Madam Chair.
I want to start by thanking the witnesses joining us today, both in person and via teleconference.
Your participation is greatly appreciated. You are giving us more insight into health care innovation.
My first questions are for Marie-Claude Prémont.
In a paper on payments by patients for health care paid out of public funds, you highlight that 30% of Quebec’s patients are without a family doctor. You also say that that proportion is the highest in Canada even though there are 20% more family doctors per capita in Quebec than in other provinces.
What are the underlying causes of the doctor shortage in Quebec? In your presentation, you laid out three areas where the federal government could get involved, one being training. I would also like to know what the broader implications of the doctor shortage are for the health care system in Quebec. Do you know where things stand elsewhere in Canada? In your view, what should be done to solve that problem?
In the same paper, you discuss the fact that Quebec has developed new financing formulas to support family medicine groups and network clinics. What types of financing formulas have been developed in Quebec to support the creation of these multidisciplinary health care teams? What are the pros and cons of the different payment schemes?
My next set of questions is for Kent Smith-Windsor.
Since I joined the Standing Committee on Health, I have been hearing about the Saskatoon experience. I would like a sense of what you do in your province. I know there's been progress and innovation in the health sector. I also know that the Saskatchewan government applies lean principles to health care services.
Would you kindly give the committee some examples of lean principles at work in health care? Is there any tie-in with best practices? In your view, what other strategies, policies or practices could be implemented in conjunction with the lean approach to promote efficiency and value-for-money within the health care system?
Thank you.