How do I get a clinic appointment without a family doctor?

If you do not have a family doctor or a specialized nurse practitioner in primary care (IPSPL), you can use the Guichet d’accès à la première ligne (GAP, the Primary Care Access Point). You submit a request online, or with help by phone at 811, option 3, so that a GAP worker calls you back. That person assesses your health need and directs you to the most appropriate resource; they can also help you find an appointment if a consultation seems necessary. The Rendez-vous santé Québec service also lets you book an appointment online with a health professional working in a clinic, if you have a RAMQ card. For an urgent problem, you must go to the emergency room. This is general information and does not replace the advice of a health professional.

Key facts

Who can use the GAP

People without a family doctor, without an IPSPL, or who are followed by a group of family doctors. If you have a family doctor or an IPSPL, you cannot make a callback request, but you can use the online service to find out which resource can help you.

How to make the request

Online (GAP service) or with the telephone assistance at 811, option 3.

Telephone assistance hours

From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and holidays. Callback periods vary by region: they are listed on the official GAP page.

Callback

The GAP makes up to three attempts to reach you.

Rendez-vous santé Québec

Free service, available to holders of a RAMQ card, even if it is expired or invalid (you must sort out your situation with the RAMQ before the appointment). It is not available to people without a RAMQ card, such as travellers and international students.

Time to get an appointment

The official pages read do not give a time frame.

Steps

1. Check that the service is for you: the GAP is reserved for people without a family doctor, without an IPSPL, or who are followed by a group of family doctors.
2. If your problem is urgent, go to the emergency room: the GAP is not meant for that.
3. Make your callback request through the GAP online service. If you need help filling out the form, dial 811, option 3: agents will help you so that a GAP worker calls you back later, without you having to wait on the line.
4. Answer the GAP call. The worker assesses your health need and directs you to the most appropriate resource; they can help you find an appointment if a consultation with a health professional seems necessary. When the call comes in, you can accept it, ask to be called back later, or cancel your request.
5. You can also book yourself online with Rendez-vous santé Québec, a free service, if you have a RAMQ card: it lets you book an appointment with a health professional working in a clinic near a location of your choice.
6. If you no longer need the appointment, cancel it: an appointment obtained through the GAP or booked in Rendez-vous santé Québec is cancelled in that service (Consulter un rendez-vous button).
7. To register on the waiting list for a family doctor, see our page on the Guichet d’accès à un médecin de famille (GAMF). To speak with a nurse or a social worker, see our page on 811.

General information drawn from official sources. It does not replace legal, medical or financial advice. For your situation, contact the organization concerned or a professional.