Holt's health-care promises shot in the arm system needs, stakeholders say

Premier-designate Susan Holt and her Liberal Party made a lot of health-care promises during the election campaign, and while some timelines are tight and some estimates are lacking, front-line health-care professionals say they're optimistic about healing the ailing system with the new government.

Dr. Lise Babin, the new president of the New Brunswick Medical Society, which represents more than 2,000 physicians in the province, said she believes Holt's pledge to open "at least" 30 collaborative health-care clinics is "going to go a long way toward improving access" to primary care for the thousands of people without a doctor, as well as those who have a doctor but have difficulty getting a timely appointment.

The proposed clinics will bring together doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, psychologists, physiotherapists, pharmacists and others "to provide a health-care home for patients."

At least 10 of those clinics will be in place in 2025, Holt told CBC News on Thursday.

That's up from the four she previously committed to open next year, in Fredericton, St. Stephen, Sussex and Campbellton, at an estimated $3.8 million in capital and operating costs, according to information filed with Elections New Brunswick.

The remainder will open before 2028, the party has said, with Year 2 capital and operating costs of $7.7 million, then $11.5 million annually in subsequent years.

Babin, a family doctor who works in a collaborative practice in Dieppe, contends the model serves patients better and makes practising medicine easier. Doctors are able to take on more patients because other members of the team can handle some of their visits, and they don't have to worry about going on vacation or being at a conference because someone else is always there to care for their patients, she said.

"We believe that younger generation physicians, they're looking for this type of practice and they will be interested in moving toward this," said Babin.

One of the biggest challenges the Liberals will face with the new clinics is staffing them, said Babin. The province will need to attract more doctors and other health-care professionals.

Holt has said she wants to create additional seats for medical students, in Saint John and Moncton, through Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick, along with residency positions for graduates completing their specialized training. The goal of 10 new seats would cost $430,000 a year, Holt has said.

This will help, said Babin, but will take years to bear fruit.

The medical society is seeking a commitment to improve remuneration for physicians, she said. She declined to discuss specifics, citing pending negotiations, but did say when compared to the other Maritime provinces, "we are lagging a little bit behind."

The current fee-for-service payment model is also overly complicated, according to Babin.

In an emailed statement Holt acknowledged, "To begin establishing community care clinics we need to make changes to the compensation models."