The Groupe de médecine de famille du Pontiac (GMF Pontiac) has taken to the internet and the airwaves over the past few weeks to advise Pontiac residents that some doctors will soon be accepting new patients, and is encouraging people without a doctor to get on the list.

“Our doctors are looking at increasing their caseloads, all the while considering that two colleagues will retire this summer,” said Danielle Romain, coordinator for the GMF Pontiac, in a message.

“We are urging residents of the Pontiac to sign up on the registry list if they are still without a family physician.”

As of last Thursday, Pontiac director for the Outaouais’ public healthcare authority (CISSSO) Nicole Boucher-Larivière said only 17 patients are on the waitlist for a family doctor in the region, which includes the MRC Pontiac and the Municipality of Pontiac.

While Boucher-Larivière is happy to see the doctor waitlist shrinking, in part due to the recruitment of four new doctors to the area in the past 15 months, she believes there are still thousands of people in the region without a family doctor.

According to statistics provided by CISSSO, 18,064 patients benefited from the care of a family doctor in the Pontiac network in 2024 — 17,546 with a regular family physician and another 518 under group care.

According to the most recent census data, the MRC Pontiac (14,764) and the Municipality of Pontiac (6,142) combine for 20,906 residents. If 18,064 had a family physician, and only 17 were on a waitlist, that leaves up to 2,825 people unaccounted for.

Boucher-Larivière said they are encouraging people to get on the waitlist because it helps them know how many doctors would be required to ensure all Pontiac residents have a family physician.

More immediately, the existing doctors will soon begin taking on more patients and will quickly eat through the current list of 17 people. The health authority is hoping to find out why those remaining people don’t have a family doctor.

“Is it because they have a family doctor in Ontario? Is it that they have a family doctor from Aylmer that they want to keep?” she said.

Boucher-Larivière said CISSSO has been able to increase family doctor services, especially over the last 18 months, in large part because of strong recruitment efforts across the network.

“When we had a doctor show interest in our area, we went into great seduction mode,” she said, adding that various people across the network would pick the doctors up at the airport, invite them to dinners in their homes, and help them get settled.

“We told them what we could offer if they were to come to our area, and how we could help them integrate, and we were successful on pretty much every candidate that was interested in coming,” she said.

She noted that with some of the region’s older doctors possibly looking to retire soon, the health network is trying to get a better picture of what the need is for primary care in the region.

“Do I keep recruiting? Or am I okay for a while? So we’re kind of asking our doctors what their intentions are.

We want to know those [ . . . ] people that are accounted for, do they have family doctors elsewhere? Or do they need one in Quebec?” she said.

To get on the waitlist for a family doctor, interested parties can call the Shawville CLSC at 819-647-3553, ext. 252510 or 1-888-747-2211 ext. 252510. You may also register online by googling “Guichet d’accès à un médecin de famille.”

Register or subscribe to read this content

Thanks for stopping by! This article is available to readers who have created a free account or who subscribe to The Equity.

When you register for free with your email, you get access to a limited number of stories at no cost. Subscribers enjoy unlimited access to everything we publish—and directly support quality local journalism here in the Pontiac.

Register or Subscribe Today!