Finding a family doctor: An orphan’s journey

By R.A. Garber I found her in a far corner of the emergency department, in a bed, railings up. No nursing staff nearby. No bell to ring; no bedpan... L’article Finding a family doctor: An orphan’s journey est apparu en premier sur Sherbrooke Record .

By R.A. Garber I found her in a far corner of the emergency department, in a bed, railings up. No nursing staff nearby. No bell to ring; no bedpan at hand.

An old woman. My mother-in-law. She’d arrived by ambulance after a fall.

Her first urgent request: get a bedpan for her. I was able to obtain a bedpan and also a bell. I admonished her to ring it immediately if she ever needed a bedpan or anything else.

“Non, non, je peux le toffer,” she said. I’d never heard the expression before in French, but I knew immediately she was saying she could tough it out; she would endure to the point of desperation before disturbing the staff. She was a tough lady.

If you’re a wheel, squeak That was 20 years ago, and I still remember it vividly, not just for my enriched French vocabulary, but for the poignant taste of an overburdened medical system, from the bedside of someone bearing the brunt of it. Those, like our oldest generation, who had learned to “tough it out.” Our health care system tries to prioritize care to those who need it most; triage based on need, not on wealth.

But we have progressed to a severe shortage of family doctors. Figures vary among different reports, but as of early 2026, at least 1.5 million Quebecers, or 17 per cent of the population, are “orphans,” not having a family doctor. I’ve been an orphan for three years.

First, I received a notice I’d been registered with the Quebec Family Doctor Finder (GAMF, Guichet d’accès à un médecin de famille). This was done on my behalf by the GACO, or Guichet d’accès pour la clientèle orpheline (access desk for orphan clients).

All I had to do was wait. If I needed help for a non-urgent medical or psychosocial problem, I could call the GAP at 811, option 3, or take an online questionnaire at Quebec.ca/GuichetAcces. GAP stands for Guichet d’accès à

la première ligne, or Primary Care Access Point. The agent there can refer you to an available nurse practitioner, pharmacist, or general practitioner (family doctor). I believe in our system of “universal” health care; I don’t want preferential treatment.

I told myself I could tough it out. Things came to a head about a year ago. I’d been feeling gradually worse, but couldn’t put my finger on a particular problem.

Maybe I was just getting old? Then one day, I accompanied a loved one to their appointment. As I entered the room, the doctor asked me how I was doing.

In that moment, I could “le toffer” no longer. “Well, I’m still here,” I said. That’s how I got an appointment at the “mini-emergency clinic” of the health centre.

My secret