As of September 30, 2026, 95.48% of the people in Quebec who had asked for a family doctor had one, or were followed by a group of doctors or a specialized nurse practitioner, according to Santé Québec's dashboard. 371,234 people were still waiting on the Québec Family Doctor Finder (GAMF). By region, this share ranges from 98.57% in Laval to 86.43% in Abitibi-Témiscamingue; Laurentides has the longest waiting list, with 60,966 people. If you don't have a family doctor, register with the GAMF as soon as you have your health insurance card.
1. How this ranking works
This ranking compares one thing only: among the people who asked to be followed, the share who are now assigned to a family doctor, a group of doctors or a specialized nurse practitioner in primary care (SNPPC). The higher the percentage, the better the rank. When two regions show the same percentage, they share the same rank.
The figures come from Santé Québec's health and social services network performance dashboard (in French), on its Première ligne page, filtered region by region. They are the figures as of September 30, 2026, published in the November 3, 2026 update and read on November 9, 2026. For each region, the dashboard also gives the number of people registered with a family doctor, with a group of doctors and with an SNPPC, and the number of people waiting on the GAMF. We checked, for every region, that the percentage equals the number of people assigned divided by that same number plus the people waiting.
We check the dashboard every month and update this ranking when new figures are published. We receive no payment for this ranking.
2. The ranking by region
Across Quebec, 95.48% of the people who made a request are assigned to a professional or a team, and 371,234 people are waiting on the GAMF. Nord-du-Québec has no waiting list published in the dashboard, so it is not ranked. Nunavik and the Cree Territory of James Bay do not appear in it; doctors in these two regions cannot register patients, according to the GAMF page. The percentage also counts people registered with an SNPPC, but the table does not show them in a column.
| Rank | Region | Assigned after asking | Waiting on the GAMF | Registered with a family doctor | Registered with a group of doctors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laval | 98.57% | 6,219 | 306,257 | 120,902 |
| 2 | Montréal | 98.56% | 24,929 | 1,174,148 | 522,332 |
| 3 | Lanaudière | 98.15% | 10,017 | 425,271 | 104,934 |
| 4 | Montérégie | 97.84% | 30,506 | 1,043,230 | 334,233 |
| 5 | Capitale-Nationale | 96.37% | 26,371 | 494,898 | 200,607 |
| 6 | Outaouais | 95.53% | 16,229 | 272,692 | 73,755 |
| 7 | Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine | 95.44% | 3,897 | 77,046 | 3,020 |
| 8 | Bas-Saint-Laurent | 93.89% | 11,692 | 164,946 | 14,692 |
| 9 | Estrie | 91.71% | 40,531 | 371,457 | 74,537 |
| 10 | Chaudière-Appalaches | 91.07% | 38,120 | 325,637 | 60,824 |
| 11 | Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean | 90.93% | 23,975 | 228,357 | 11,501 |
| 12 | Mauricie et Centre-du-Québec | 90.18% | 49,859 | 411,374 | 45,287 |
| 12 | Laurentides | 90.18% | 60,966 | 470,803 | 86,285 |
| 14 | Côte-Nord | 87.75% | 4,891 | 27,240 | 7,437 |
| 15 | Abitibi-Témiscamingue | 86.43% | 17,227 | 96,339 | 12,731 |
| Not ranked | Nord-du-Québec | 100.00% | not published | 11,197 | 103 |
3. Montréal: the five territories
The dashboard divides Montréal into five territorial service networks (RTS). The share of people assigned after asking ranges from 99.33% in Centre-Ouest-de-l'Île to 97.79% in Ouest-de-l'Île. The dashboard warns that the figures for Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal are being validated and may be incomplete.
| Rank | Territory (RTS) | Assigned after asking | Waiting on the GAMF | Registered with a family doctor | Registered with a group of doctors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Centre-Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal | 99.33% | 1,908 | 191,146 | 88,817 |
| 2 | Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal | 99.03% | 2,429 | 177,317 | 71,585 |
| 3 | Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal | 98.96% | 4,015 | 251,264 | 130,190 |
| 4 | Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal | 98.05% | 9,230 | 307,747 | 155,629 |
| 5 | Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal | 97.79% | 7,347 | 246,674 | 76,111 |
4. What this ranking does not tell you
The percentage only counts people who asked for a doctor on the GAMF or who are already followed. A person without a doctor who never registered with the GAMF does not appear in it. That is why the figure is high everywhere. The file that measures the whole insured population gave 71.9% of people registered with a family doctor as of December 31, 2024, counting only registration with a family doctor.
Being assigned to a group of doctors is not the same as having your own doctor: you may see a different doctor or other professional at each appointment, and you go through the Primary Care Access Point to get care, according to Québec.ca. As of September 30, 2026, 1,720,421 people were registered with a group of doctors in Quebec, 568,566 more than a year earlier. Over the same year, the GAMF waiting list dropped by 257,572 people.
The percentage does not measure how easy it is to get an appointment either. The dashboard warns that the figures for Mauricie-et-Centre-du-Québec and Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal are being validated and may be incomplete. In Côte-Nord, the number of people registered with a family doctor dropped by 30,288 in one year, or 52.65%, according to the same dashboard; we found no official explanation for this drop.
5. If you don't have a family doctor
Put your name on the waiting list of the Québec Family Doctor Finder: you need a valid health insurance card and must not already be registered with a family doctor or an SNPPC. Your priority depends on your health, and the wait cannot be predicted exactly: it varies with the doctors available in your region and the number of people on the waiting list for your territory.
While you wait, the Primary Care Access Point (GAP) directs you to the right service. You make the request online, or at 811, option 3, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and public holidays.
The detailed steps, walk-in clinics and other options are explained in our guide Seeing a doctor in Quebec. For an urgent problem, go to the emergency room.
6. Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions about access to a family doctor in Quebec.
What percentage of the whole population has a family doctor?
The dashboard does not give this percentage. The last permanent file from the RAMQ and the Ministry of Health that measures it gave 71.9% of the insured population registered with a family doctor as of December 31, 2024. The preliminary file as of March 31, 2025, the most recent one published, gave 70.8%. These files count only registration with a family doctor.
What changes when you are cared for by a group of doctors?
You receive a letter from the RAMQ that confirms it. You are followed by the group, not by one particular doctor: you may see a different doctor or health professional at each appointment. To get an appointment, you contact the Primary Care Access Point, according to Québec.ca.
How long will I wait on the GAMF list?
No one can say exactly. According to the GAMF page, the wait depends on the doctors and SNPPCs available in your region and on the number of people on the waiting list for your territory. Your priority also depends on your health. The ranking above gives an idea of the situation in your region.
How often is the ranking updated?
The dashboard shows the date of its latest update; we read the one of November 3, 2026, with figures as of September 30, 2026. We check it every month and change the tables and dates in this guide when new figures are published.
7. See also
These related guides may be useful:
- Seeing a doctor in Quebec — how to register with the GAMF, and the options while you wait for a doctor.
- The RAMQ — getting the health insurance card you need to register with the GAMF.
- Emergency room wait times by region — the other ranking based on Ministry of Health data.
- Surgery wait times by region — the ranking of surgery waiting lists.
Author's note: Register with the GAMF as soon as you receive your health insurance card, even if your region ranks well. While you wait, the Primary Care Access Point remains the way in to get care.
