Message from the Minister of Health and Social Services
Our government has made health care its main priority. This priority goes far beyond a simple intention:
it has been tangibly implemented through a coherent set of legislative, organizational, clinical, and budgetary
decisions. We have put the fight to reduce waiting times at the heart of our concerns, which reflect the needs
expressed by Quebeckers. Today, we can state that, since 2003, major progress has been achieved in areas such
as radiation oncology and tertiary cardiology. The number of orthopedic and cataract surgeries is also on an
upward trend. The outcomes of all of this have been positive. While, in 2003, 44,000 residents had to wait
for longer than six months for specialized medical interventions, fewer than 34,000 have found themselves
in this situation in 2006.
Nevertheless, we have to do even better in order to respond to a rising demand for care. Greater efforts
will therefore be committed in many regions across the province to further improve access to specialized
medical services. Our objective is to reduce the wait for these priority services once again.
Of course, access to specialized medical services does not cover all primary-care services, which include
consultation and investigation. Nevertheless, the outcomes indicate that the government has taken the right
action and is going to stay the course.
This site informs Quebeckers about the targets set for each intervention and allows them to check how well
hospitals do in meeting these targets. This innovation demonstrates the government's transparency in a field
in which the public insists on having practical, reliable, and current information.
