Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) Grand Chief Cody Diabo and Chief Arnold Boyer meet with Quebec Minister of Health Christian Dubé last week about the impacts that Bill 2 will have on Kahnawake's healthcare system.
Boyer told Iorì:wase that the proposed changes outlined in Bill 2 would establish a precedent prioritizing the volume of patients seen over the quality of care provided.
"It's like fast-food medicine: you're in and out, seeing the doctor within seven minutes," Boyer said.
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Diabo added that the bill imposes conditions that would discourage physicians from practicing in Quebec, eventually leading to a decline in the quality of healthcare available to Kahnawa'kehró:non.
"As the Coalition Avenir du Quebec government passed Bill 2, it pressures physicians to focus on the quantity of patients over quality of care -- otherwise, they suffer the consequences in compensation," Diabo said.
Bill 2 will replace the current fee-for-service reimbursement system for Quebec physicians with a capitation model. While the bill is set to come into effect January 1, the MCK has already begun to raise the alarms surrounding its potential impact on local health services.
"Minister Dubé has been informed that it's critical this cannot happen to our community members," Boyer said.
Still, Boyer told Iorì:wase that he thought the meeting with Dubé went relatively well, with Dubé complimenting Kahnawake for having a "very good hospital" with Kateri Memorial Hospital Centre (KMHC).
"I told him we want to keep it that way," Boyer added.
During the meeting, Boyer explained to Dubé the threats that Bill 2 posed to the culturally sensitive approach taken by physicians in Kahnawake.
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"Our elders ... some of them went to Residential School, and the trauma still lingers," Boyer said. "So, every time we go see a doctor, our appointments are usually half an hour, because our doctors are really taking care of [our] patients."
While Dubé made no concrete commitments to Kahnawake during said meeting, he did promise to continue the discussion with Boyer and Diabo in person before the end of the year.
"He wants to speak with us to really get a deeper understanding of our community needs," Boyer said.
Both KMHC and MCK have already issued a joint statement in support of physicians affected by Bill 2 back in October. While MCK will continue to fight for Kahnawake's healthcare system at the political level, Boyer is nevertheless optimistic about future talks with Dubé.
"This cannot happen to our community," Boyer stressed. "So, we're looking at something, some details have to be worked out."
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