Eversince Jean Lesage set up hospitalization insurance in 1961, the Liberal government has always been the healthcare government. Quebecers owe their medicare card to the health insurance program established by the Bourassa government in 1970.

Unfortunately, healthcare in Quebec has badly suffered from nearsighted spending cuts by the PQ in the 1990’s. The system lurched from crisis to crisis after the forced early retirement of thousands of doctors and nurses, lengthening waiting lists and forcing some patients to be sent to the United States for care.  Elected Premier in 2003, Jean Charest made it a priority of his government to reinvest in healthcare. No less than 60% of new program spending by the government since went to healthcare, increasing the total healthcare budget by over 50%. These new funds have allowed thousands of new doctors and nurses to join the ranks of healthcare providers.  The Charest government also reorganized the whole network to dismantle bureaucratic obstacles and see to it that patients do not get lost navigating through various services, professionals and establishments.

The Liberal government acted decisively in matters of prevention, tightening laws and regulations to curb drunk driving and excessive speed on our roads, junk food in our schools, psychological harassment in our workplaces, smoking in public areas, and the private hell of substance abuse and homelessness.  Every success achieved by prevention is major spending not allocated to treatment and cure.  Finally, it is the Liberal government who really engineered the shift to ambulatory care, increasing resources so patients and seniors with reduced mobility can receive care at home.  In all priority areas, Liberal efforts continue:

The QLP government doubled admission figures in medical schools, training 2010 new doctors in 2010, the biggest total in Canada and up from 406 in 1998-99, in addition to opening two faculties of medicine in Quebec regions, in Trois-Rivières and Chicoutimi;

It has increased the number of family medicine groups from 17 in 2003 to 203 in 2010;

The Liberal government brought down waiting times for a first treatment of radio-oncology cancer patients, bringing it under 4 weeks for 95% of patients. Altogether, waiting lists for surgery have decreased by 20% since 2003, thanks to recurrent investments of over $130 millions a year;

Three specific interventions (cataract surgery and hip and knee  replacements) are now subject to a maximum six-month waiting time guarantee;

Nearly half a million additional Quebecers on low income now enjoy free access to the drugs they need.