Impatient Blaine Higgs drops health minister, Horizon CEO

Premier Blaine Higgs dropped his health minister Friday and fired the CEO of one of two New Brunswick health networks after worsening news on the health-care front that included a "traumatizing" death in an emergency department's waiting room.

Bruce Fitch is now health minister, switching places with Dorothy Shephard, who moves from Health to Social Development, Higgs announced, during a Friday afternoon news conference.

Higgs also announced Horizon Health Network CEO John Dornan was fired from his role, and replaced on an interim basis by Margaret Melanson, the network's vice-president clinical services.

In addition, Higgs said he revoked the boards of both Horizon and Vitalité health networks and installed in their place a trustee for each.

WATCH | 'It starts at the top:' Higgs details changes to health-care leadership

"We have a plan," Higgs said. "It needs to be implemented. The situation we're in today is the result of many, many years of successive governments refusing to deal with urgent situations."

The shakeup of New Brunswick's health-care leadership comes after a patient died in the waiting room of the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital's emergency department early Tuesday morning while waiting for care.

Witness John Staples said the man, a senior, had been waiting alone in a wheelchair, in visible discomfort for hours when he appeared to fall asleep. It was only during a routine check of people in the waiting room that a hospital employee realized the man had stopped breathing, he said.

Higgs said he was "appalled" when he heard a patient died while waiting to be seen in an emergency department.

He said he's asked Horizon Health Network to undertake an investigation into what happened, and that if he's not satisfied with the results, will ask for an external review.

"I have no doubt that every New Brunswicker is saddened and concerned by this story. We all want to know that if we go to the hospital we will receive help we need."

Answering questions from reporters, Higgs said his hope is the investigation uncovers whether any standards for care at the hospital were not being met when the patient died in the waiting room.

However, he was quick to note he doesn't believe fault lies with frontline health-care workers.

"I don't believe this has anything to do with — and I'm just stating an opinion here — anything to do with the nurses on shift or the people on shift.