The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) is currently analyzing the activities of the private portal Bonjour-santé, which would have offered its paying subscribers medical appointments reserved in advance thanks to the availabilities offered in the public system.
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Health network staff members alerted the ministry when some noticed irregularities in the availability of appointments on the Bonjour-santé portal.
This website offers a free service for research in a clinic where the patient is a member. However, there are paid services.
The platform is criticized for booking appointments displayed on the public network system and then offering them to its paying customers.
Priority file
“The MSSS is looking into [ces allégations] in order to [de] shed light and determine if they are true. If necessary, the MSSS will determine what measures to take, ”said spokesperson Noémie Vanheuverzwijn by email.
It was not possible to know when the MSSS was alerted to the situation and since when it has been trying to clarify the situation.
However, this is a priority file, indicates the MSSS. PetalMD, a secure cloud computing platform that orchestrates the delivery of patient care, assists the MSSS in these verifications.
Unfair
According to the Council for the protection of the sick, this would be an illegal practice under the Canada Health Act.
“It’s not fair, we already have a hard time getting a doctor. If in addition we have to wait for those who have paid to have access before [ceux qui n’ont pas payé]it’s not fair,” argues Paul Brunet, president and CEO of the organization.
Bonjour-santé refutes these allegations and instead describes itself as a “showcase” of appointments.
The company searches for time slots according to specific criteria and gives the results to the patient, indicates its spokesperson Annie Blanchette.
According to her, the payment of a subscription is justified by the addition of additional services to patients, for example an alert option.
Members whose appointment searches have not been successful can receive an alert when a time slot becomes available.
Ms. Blanchette is unable to indicate the number of members or appointments made annually on the platform. However, she specifies that the portal receives 100,000 visits per week.