A prominent Montreal surgeon is speaking out about how Quebec's proposed Bill 2 has fundamentally shaken his faith in the province's healthcare system and made him question whether he can continue practicing medicine in his home province.
The Personal Toll of Healthcare Work
Dr. Ahmed Aoude, an orthopedic spine surgeon and oncologic surgeon at the Montreal General Hospital, describes the immense personal sacrifices he makes daily for his patients. The hyper-specialized surgeon performs some of the most complex and high-risk surgeries in the world, procedures that very few surgeons anywhere are trained to do.
"I come in evenings, nights and weekends, even when I'm not on call, because when someone needs help, I cannot and will not turn away," Dr. Aoude explains. He loses time with his own family to care for strangers during some of the most frightening moments of their lives.
Systemic Challenges and Government Response
Despite working in what he describes as a "deeply broken" system that lacks proper tools and resources, Dr. Aoude and his colleagues continue to adapt and innovate. They regularly take on "inoperable" cases because they refuse to give up on their patients.
The surgeon challenges the narrative that Quebec's doctors are overcompensated, noting that when you divide his salary by the hours worked, years of training, risk, and emotional burden, Quebec's physicians in complex surgical specialties are among the lowest compensated in Canada.
Dr. Aoude specifically addresses misleading data being used to justify Bill 2, pointing to Montreal's population growth over the last decade compared to the shrinking number of operating rooms available. "The math speaks for itself," he states.
A Call to Action for Quebecers
For the first time in his career, Dr. Aoude is questioning whether he can continue to stay in Quebec. Bill 2 has shaken his faith not just in the healthcare system, but in how society values healthcare workers.
The surgeon makes an emotional appeal to Quebecers: "I have always stood up for my patients. Now, I am asking you, the people of Quebec, to stand up for us, your doctors, nurses and caregivers."
He urges citizens who still believe in Quebec's values of fairness, compassion and solidarity to make their voices heard by speaking up, asking questions, and demanding truth about the healthcare system's challenges.
Dr. Aoude emphasizes the critical relationship between healthcare providers and the public, stating simply: "Because without you, there is no us. And without us, there is no health-care system."
