Concerned about the future of the Clinique de la Cité Vaudreuil medical complex, Marie-Claude Nichols questioned Health Minister Christian Dubé this week about the measures his government will take to prevent the closure of this clinic serving 25,000 patients.

The MP was referring to the medical clinic project in the Vaudreuil riding, initiated by a nurse practitioner and a physician in 2019. The clinic was to have the support and commitment of the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, and would have brought together several doctors and specialists.

However, despite all the suggestions and steps taken, none of the proposals have been transformed into a real project. For the MP, it's time to act. I can't understand why the Minister would abandon a medical clinic that cares for 25,000 patients in our region," she says.

"The healthcare system cannot provide a family doctor for the entire Quebec population, but when entrepreneurs from the network are ready to fight to care for people in the public system, nothing is done to help them. The Minister's team has proposed various options to perpetuate the clinic, but unfortunately nothing has come of them. We have to act, because the situation is not sustainable in the long term," she pointed out.

This is not the first time the MP for Vaudreuil has questioned the Minister on this subject. In fact, she questioned him during last spring's budget review, and has been following up with members of her team ever since.

Several suggestions have been put forward to the clinic's managers to fill the empty premises, either with family medicine groups (FMGs), a vaccination center, or even a daycare center. At the Blue Room, Ms. Nichols called for urgent action. We need a solution from the Minister's team," she said, "or the future of this clinic will be in jeopardy. That's why I've asked the Minister to personally address this important issue for our region as soon as possible."

The MP hopes that her intervention will result in a rapid response from Minister Dubé's team, so that the Clinique de la Cité Vaudreuil can continue to care for its 25,000 patients in the public network. The Minister has not only offered to meet with the MP, but also to provide support in this matter.