New Brunswick’s health minister has placed a full-page ad in several newspapers across the province, asking doctors to help stem the flow of red ink from the province’s balance sheet.
Hugh Flemming says he is doing what is necessary to maintain health care in the province, and shared the personal story of the recent premature birth of his grandson.
“I saw what the medical system did for my little grandson to save his life,” says Flemming. “And I want that to be preserved. I want it to stay. New Brunswickers are entitled to that and I’m going to do everything in my power to preserve it.”
The New Brunswick Medical Society, which represents almost 1,700 doctors, isn’t surprised by Flemming’s tactic.
The society says it will continue with its lawsuit against the government, asking that their current agreement with the province be honoured.
“Teachers, Crown prosecutors, nurses, all were treated with respect and given an opportunity to negotiate an agreement,” says medical society CEO Anthony Knight. “We were given a matter of days to negotiate an agreement; others were given over a year.”
Opposition Liberals say Flemming’s public campaign is just the latest round in what they call his personal fight with the medical society.
“He decided to use this divide-and-conquer kind of attitude by taking taxpayer dollars to have full-page ads throughout the media we have in the province and it’s a situation that, unfortunately, the premier has let deteriorate as well and just think it’s wrong,” says New Brunswick Liberal MLA Donald Arseneault.
The medical society will host an emergency meeting Friday aimed at, among other things, determining their next move in what has become a battle for public opinion.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Andy Campbell
