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According to exclusive data reported by Coops de l’Information, the number of patients who do not honor their medical appointments might reach up to 30,000 people per month.PHOTO : getty images/istockphoto / photographereddie

The no-show phenomenon (the no-show », in English) is experiencing a significant increase in medical clinics. “This number is increasing, month following month,” says Dr. Marc-André Amyot, president of the Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec (FMOQ). According to the most recent data he has on hand, 14,000 people did not show up for their medical appointments in September 2022. This number was 10,000 in July, and 12,000 last August. The FMOQ also intends to find a remedy for this scourge.

Dr. Amyot points out that it may be normal to cancel an appointment because of an impediment, but that it is impossible for 14,000 people to do so. At this time, the data does not specify whether these patients failed to notify their clinic or simply failed to cancel their appointment in good faith. There Federation of General Practitioners of Quebec will therefore try to obtain this information in order to see more clearly.