N.B. doctor waitlist grows to 63,000; health minister says update on primary care coming soon

Tasked with ensuring New Brunswick’s health plan is actually implemented, Suzanne Johnston and Gérald Richard provided an update Wednesday, seven months after the release of the plan.

The pair met with municipalities and communities across the province, trying to get a handle on what the issues and expectations are for health care in each region.

“The health plan said clearly that we would start with the most pressing issues and move on from there and that's exactly what we've been doing,” Johnston said.

According to the Department of Health, steps have been taken and measures implemented to alleviate the strain on the hospital system. People are no longer charged for a virtual appointment if they have a Medicare card, the Tele-Care 811 system can arrange for in-person appointments and pharmacists are able to renew many prescriptions.

However, Johnston wasn’t able to provide an update on one of the most anticipated parts of the plan – the Primary Care Network. The network promises to remove people from the current doctor waitlist, by putting them in touch with a practitioner when they need an appointment, until they can get a long-term family doctor or nurse practitioner.

Last month, Health Minister Dorothy Shephard said she was hoping to have the network running by the end of the year.

In the meantime, the waitlist has grown.

“I think as more people are moving to the province, more individuals are adding their names to the waitlist. It's a very serious challenge that we're faced with. We do have, I would say, a very comprehensive plan,” said Johnston.

In February, that list sat at about 55,000 people. Since then, 11,000 people have added their names, but 3,000 were removed and connected with a primary care practitioner.

That leaves the list at about 63,000 people.

“There will be more to say about the Primary Care Network in the coming weeks,” said Shephard in a statement. “It is absolutely one of the most important pillars of our plan and we are in the final stages of our preparations.”

Staffing also remains a big challenge.

Vitalité Health Network confirmed they’ve lost three oncologists in recent weeks, with the latest on Friday.

And while two more have been hired, they won’t be in place until next year and the year after.

“It is a very important aspect of a care delivery system to have strong primary care, to have an acute care system that’s staffed with the right specialists that are in the right place to provide service,” said Johnston. “Absolutely, we’re concerned about that.”