Why are wait times so long for consultations? Explanations on the Quebec healthcare system

By Dre Aurélia Nha-Huyen Nguyen Gouez, family physician and medical director of French origin, settled in Quebec since 2016.

If you have ever tried to make an appointment with a family physician in Quebec, you have probably faced discouraging delays: several weeks, or even months of waiting. And even when going through the Guichet d’accès à la première ligne (GAP), it is not uncommon to have to wait several days just to speak with an evaluator. Why does it take so long? Is it a problem of organization, resources, or the system? Here are some explanations to help you better understand.

1. A universal public system… but under pressure

Quebec, like the rest of Canada, offers a universal public healthcare system funded by taxes. It is an equitable model, but one that relies on a limited number of professionals and capped budgets. As a result: demand far exceeds supply.

A few telling figures:

• Approximately 20% of Quebecers do not have an assigned family physician.

• Managing a patient in a GMF (Family Medicine Group) involves follow-ups, assessments, and administrative time.

• Emergency rooms are overflowing, partly because access to primary care is slowed down.

2. How the GAP works and its limits

The GAP was established to facilitate access to care for patients without a family physician or those waiting for an appointment. In theory, it evaluates the request and directs the patient toward an available resource.

But in practice:

• There can be several days of delay before a GAP evaluator contacts you.

• Even after evaluation, no appointment is guaranteed if the available slots are already filled.

• Patients must wait for a phone call, often without knowing the time slot, which complicates planning.

• When you already have a family physician, Rendez-vous santé Québec (RVSQ) does not allow access to other clinics, even if they have availability.

3. Doctors… often very busy elsewhere

Contrary to what one might believe, Quebec family physicians do not spend all their days in office consultations. Many:

• Work in emergency rooms, in CHSLDs, at the hospital, or in a CLSC.

• Have patient and hour quotas to respect, according to agreements with the MSSS.

• Face significant administrative pressure (files, medical forms, assessments, etc.).

This limits their actual availability for clinic appointments, hence the delays.

4. Technology that is not yet optimal

Despite platforms like RVSQ, online booking remains:

• Fragmented (each clinic manages its own availability).

• Lacking transparency (patients do not always see who has openings).

• Inaccessible to patients without RAMQ (Quebec health insurance) or those who have newly arrived.

There is no integrated single window, which complicates rapid access, even for simple problems.

5. And private clinics? A supplementary solution

Faced with these delays, more and more patients are turning to private medicine, which is not covered by RAMQ but offers:

• Rapid access (often on the same day or the next).

• Home consultations or virtual consultation.

• More flexible management for follow-ups or one-time care.

At Allodocteur.ca, we wanted to create a concrete alternative to these delays. Our goal: to make medical care more accessible, more human, and closer to you.

Conclusion

The wait times for consultations in Quebec reflect a system under tension: lack of resources, administrative rigidity, and growing expectations from the population. While waiting for structural reforms, solutions exist to avoid queues, notably by combining public services and private clinics.

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