The decision by Quebec's health minister to abolish accessory fees could end up over crowding a public system that is already having a hard time keeping up with demand.
CTV Montreal has learned that at least three private clinics specializing in colonoscopies, gastroscopies and other procedures will close their doors.
Dr. Barry Stein, a colorectal cancer surgeon who works at the MUHC four days a week and part time at MD Specialists, a private clinic in Westmount, said the extra fees passed on to the patient are what was keeping the clinics open and operating.
"The government does not pay for the nurses, the government does not pay for equipment or repairs which are very expensive to do," Dr. Stein told CTV. "We're going to close."
While the health minister stands by his decision to do away with accessory fees for health services that are publicly funded, Dr. Stein said the move could hurt thousands of people each year.
"We diagnose a lot of serious illnesses here - colitis and cancer and polyps - which if left untreated go on to become cancer," he said. "I feel terrible about it because I don't know where the thousands of patients that we treat here, the prevention that we do, the early diagnosis that we do, where are those people going to go?"
Along with MD Specialists, Endovision in the Cotes-des-Neiges area and Clinique 1037 near UQAM will be closing down as well.
CHUM chief of gastroenterology Dr. Anand Sahai also works at Clinique 1037 part-time, and echoed many of the same concerns.
"I believe that there are a minimum of 500-1000 patients (at CHUM) who are waiting for endoscopies, with a delay that surpasses established guidelines. If our clinics close, I do not see how the public system can accept the overload in the Montreal region. This will seriously lead to people unnecessarily presenting with advanced cancers or pre-cancerous lesions," said Sahai.
Dr. Josee Parent, president of the Quebec Association of Gastroenterologists also agrees.
"Our concern is that we already have some unacceptable delays in the public system. If we add those patients we think the delays will get even longer," she said.
Dr. Parent said while the private system is controversial, it has its place and only exists because of deficiencies in public health care.
"The private system only develops if there's a wait time in the public system. When there's no wait time in the public system there are no private clinics, so private clinics elsewhere in the province closed because there were no longer delays in those areas. Montreal is the problem area," said Parent.
The MUHC currently has one fully equipped endoscopy room sitting unused, with no plan to open it. While it could help reduce wait times, the hospital network said the plan is to keep it closed because of budget concerns.
Heath Minister Gaétan Barrette said right now is not the time to worry about long waiting lists getting longer.
"We will address the situation when the time will come," said Barrette. "I am sure we can take that over, there's no doubt in my mind."