Health Care
Quebec residents benefit from the public Quebec health insurance plan that gives access to free health care. The plan is managed by the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (health insurance board), also known as the RAMQ. If you have taken up residence in Quebec, you are also required to have prescription drug insurance coverage, either through a private plan or, if you don’t qualify for a private plan, through the public plan.
Health Card
Most health services are free of charge in this province when you show your health card. To obtain a health card, you must be a legal resident of Canada who lives in this province for 183 days of the year.
For more details about the Quebec health plan or to get your health card, call the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec at 1 800 561-9749 or visit http://www.ramq.gouv.qc.ca/en/Pages/home.aspx
Info-Santé 811
Info-Santé is a telephone information and advice service that has nurses responding to health and well-being concerns 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A simple three-digit number, 8-1-1, is used for the entire province of Quebec. There is a dial option to access the service in English.
Integrated Health and Social Services Centre/
Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS)
Integrated health and social services centres (CISSS) ensure accessibility, continuity, and quality of services for people in their territory. They are reference points where people can go in case of health or psychosocial problems and receive appropriate services or be directed to another resource of the territorial services network.
The CISSS for the Côte-Nord region is located in Baie-Comeau.
835 Jolliet Boulevard
Baie-Comeau, QC, G5C 1P5
Tel.: (418) 589-9845
Toll free: 1 800 463-5142
Website: http://www.cisss-cotenord.gouv.qc.ca/en/home.html
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Out of Town Medical Assistance
Travel4Health
Several members of the Community Health and Social Services Network have developed a website (https://www.travel4health.ca/) to provide information and support to English-speaking patients who have to travel away from home for medical services.
The Côte-Nord is one region where patients may have to travel to receive specialized medical services. In order to better prepare patients and their loved ones for visiting medical centres outside the region, a toolkit has been developed. The information is organized to help prepare for your trip; lists local services and support, by region of departure (Lower North Shore, North Shore, Lower Saint-Lawrence, Magdalen Islands, Gaspé Coast); includes information for each destination, by hospital and city (Quebec City, Rimouski, Sept-Îles and Baie-Comeau, Chicoutimi, Chandler, Blanc-Sablon); and provides information and advice for the stay at the hospital, information and advice before returning home, and on costs and refunds.
The toolkit is available to download from http://www.travel4health.ca/ (click on Downloads in the top right hand corner and select North Shore). Hard copies are also available at the NSCA offices; simply contact (418) 296-1545 for more information.
NSCA Health Passport
The NSCA has prepared a small booklet designed to help you on your visits to a health service or in case of a health emergency. The booklet lists common ailments and questions likely to be asked by French-language medical services, and their equivalents in English. You can list your medications and any health problems and use this information whenever you use health services in Quebec. If you would like to request your own copy, call the NSCA at (418) 296-1545.
A more detailed list of Health and Social Services installations and services is available in the NSCA Community Directory. For any queries please contact NSCA at (418) 296-1545.