Patients of Dr. Amir Khadir are voicing strong support for the physician following his six-month suspension from practicing medicine by the Collège des médecins du Québec. The suspension, announced in early December 2025, stems from Khadir prescribing long-term antibiotics to patients with chronic symptoms following Lyme disease, contravening a 2020 agreement he had signed with the medical college.
A Controversial Suspension and Patient Advocacy
At a news conference in Montreal on Thursday, December 4, 2025, a group of patients stood alongside the infectious disease specialist and former Québec solidaire MNA. They argued that Khadir is one of the few doctors in the province dedicated to helping those suffering from chronic conditions post-infection, such as chronic Lyme disease and long COVID.
While Khadir stated he respects the Collège's decision, he expressed no regret for the prescriptions themselves. "What I regret is not coming to an agreement that was better adapted to the needs of patients with chronic conditions in the first place," Khadir said. He also regretted not later advocating for the 2020 agreement to be updated.
Life-Changing Impact and a Growing Need
Patient testimonials highlighted the significant impact of Khadir's care. Caren Leblanc of the Association québécoise de la maladie de Lyme stated that many patients treated by Khadir experienced notable improvements, sometimes even a return to normal life.
Patient Julie Francis shared her story, traveling over 500 kilometres to see Khadir due to a lack of resources in her own region. "If today, life is easier for me, it's because one day I had the chance of running into Dr. Khadir," Francis said. "It's because of him, his openness, his listening that my life took a turn."
Leblanc added that hundreds of patients are on a waitlist to see Khadir specifically. The association also reports an increase in requests for psychological help from Lyme disease patients who feel abandoned by the healthcare system.
Calls for a Systemic Solution
Khadir and his patients are calling for a comprehensive provincial strategy to address what he termed a "silent public-health crisis." He estimates these chronic post-infection conditions affect hundreds of thousands in Quebec and Canada, leading to severe disability and economic cost.
They are urging the Quebec government, the Collège des médecins, and medical faculties to convene a summit to establish better care protocols. "We have to recruit young doctors, open-minded doctors, within appropriate, protected, specialized clinics," Khadir advised.
The situation underscores a critical gap in Quebec's healthcare network. Although 15 clinics for infection-associated chronic illnesses opened in 2022—an initiative Khadir helped launch—strict access criteria and funding uncertainties following the creation of Santé Québec have limited their effectiveness. Dr. Caroline Grégoire, a long COVID patient since 2020, noted that doctors with Khadir's expertise are exceedingly rare, with one colleague having a two-year waitlist.
The lack of accessible, specialized care is forcing some Quebec patients to seek expensive treatment in the United States, paying thousands of dollars out of pocket.
