Created on June 20, 1985 by replacing the former Ministry of Social Affairs, Quebec’s Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) is the product of a long evolution of the province’s health and social services system. The modern public system was established in 1971 with the passage of Quebec’s first Act respecting health services and social services, which created an integrated network of health and social care across the province. This network was built on foundations laid in the 1960s, including the introduction of a universal Hospital Insurance Plan in 1961 that made hospital care free, and the creation of a Health Insurance Plan in 1970 that achieved universal medical coverage in Quebec. Today, the MSSS stands as one of the Quebec government’s largest ministries in terms of budget. It oversees a vast system divided into 18 health regions and encompassing dozens of health and social service institutions and partner organizations throughout the province.
The MSSS’s overarching mission is “to maintain, improve and restore the health and well-being of Quebecers by making available integrated and quality health and social services, thus contributing to the social and economic development of Québec.” In practice, the ministry sets province-wide priorities, policies and standards for health and social services and ensures their implementation across the network. It shares the delivery of this mission with health and social service institutions across the territory. These institutions are organized into 18 regional networks and include 22 integrated health and social services centres (some with university status) that oversee local service provision, along with various specialized institutions offering highly specialized care at the provincial level. Through this structure, the MSSS ensures coherence and equity in the services offered to citizens while accommodating regional needs.
The ministry’s fields of intervention are extensive. It fulfills key national public health functions, including monitoring population health, health promotion, the prevention of diseases (as well as psychosocial problems and injuries), and health protection. The MSSS also plays a leadership and governance role by regulating and coordinating the entire health and social services system. This includes ensuring coordination of services between regions and between different care institutions so that users receive integrated, continuous care across the province. The MSSS defines province-wide quality standards and sets intervention priorities and objectives for the network, overseeing their application by the relevant bodies. Moreover, it allocates financial, human and material resources equitably throughout the network and monitors their use, while evaluating outcomes against targets to continually improve system performance.
Finally, in its role as the authority for financial support programs, the MSSS provides funding to many stakeholders in the health and social services sector. Through various funding envelopes and programs, it supports public institutions, community organizations and targeted initiatives that put its policies into action on the ground. These funding measures aim, for example, to assist vulnerable populations, improve access to care, encourage innovation in service delivery, and strengthen prevention and health promotion efforts. For instance, the ministry funds a wide range of community organizations in the health and social domains to help them offer complementary services to populations in need. It also finances specific projects aligned with its strategic priorities (e.g. healthy aging, mental health, reducing health inequalities, etc.), thereby fostering innovation and improvements in the system.
