Petition:
Implementation of measures enabling access to appropriate care for patients suffering from craniocervical instability

Petition text

WHEREAS the law requires the funding of necessary medical care;

WHEREAS the RAMQ recognizes the absence of a Canadian surgeon experienced in Craniocervical Instability (CCI), and has covered the surgical costs in the United States for a Quebec CCI patient;

WHEREAS many CCI victims are refused treatment and  end up bedridden, oscillating between survival, expensive care outside the country, and  medical assistance in dying;

WHEREAS CCI can occur after a surgery or a cervical trauma, that it worsens with each subsequent trauma, and that annually in Quebec there are nearly 28,000 road accidents and 45,000 cases of minor head injuries for which CCI is not assessed;

WHEREAS CCI is often associated with other conditions such as Ehlers Danlos syndromes;

WHEREAS untreated CCI results in progressive neurological damage, and higher medical or disability costs;

We, the undersigned, ask the Government of Quebec to:

• establish two specialized clinics equipped with an upright MRI, rotational scan, CT angiography, CBCT-scan, and digital motion x-ray, along with CCI-trained  radiologists and neurosurgeons;
• adapt services to the needs of severely affected patients, who must avoid traveling, by prioritizing teleconsultations and grouping appointments on the same day;
• recognize CCI as a source of disability;
• develop  guidelines and a patient guide for safe interventions;
• provide CCI training to healthcare professionals;
• modify surgery protocols to reduce the risk of acquiring or worsening CCI;
• develop CCI-specific autologous stem cell therapy and surgical fusions, in addition to offering out-of-country care funding in the interim.

The signing period for this petition is over.

Signing deadline : April 15, 2026

Number of signatures : 1358

Need help?

Telephone: 418 643-7239 or, toll-free, 1 866 337-8837
Email: renseignements@assnat.qc.ca