Premier braces public for major health-care reform Tuesday

A major reform to the New Brunswick health care system will be announced Tuesday.

Premier Blaine Higgs confirmed in a statement that the CEOs of the province's two health care networks will reveal the changes on Tuesday morning.

"We need to act with a sense of urgency to ensure quality health care will always be there when you need it," he said in the statement.

"These ongoing challenges have been ignored for far too long by previous governments for political reasons. While change is not easy, it is necessary and we are prepared to do what is right for all New Brunswickers."

The statement provided no details on what the changes will be.

But the premier pointed to 23 different service interruptions in the province last year. He said an aging population, a mental health crisis and a labour shortage in the system mean the system is no longer sustainable the way it is now.

The Vitalit Health Network made similar comments earlier Monday.

"We are facing recruitment issues that are now damaging the way we deliver services to patients," spokesperson Thomas Lizotte said in an emailed statement.

"Recent service interruptions have demonstrated that it is now time to take action. Challenges are real, and we cannot wait for other closures to come and disrupt patients' services."

Last fall Vitalit was forced to close emergency services, surgeries and other services at the Campbellton Regional Hospital because of a lack of staff and beds.

A spokesperson for the Horizon Health Network wouldn't comment Monday on its role in any announcement. Health Department spokesperson Bruce MacFarlane also refused to comment.

Online petitions circulating

But online petitions were already circulating Monday morning in communities such as Sussex and Sackville to defend services at their local hospitals.

And in Caraquet, about 40 people spoke outside the L'Hpital de l'Enfant-Jsus RHSJ, including local Liberal MLA Isabelle Thriault, Acadie-Bathurst Liberal MP Serge Cormier and most members of the town council.

"Leave small community hospitals like the one in Caraquet alone," said Dr. Hubert Dupuis, the president of the lobby group galit Sant en franais. He told the crowd that more cost savings are to be found in larger hospitals.

In a year-end interview with CBC News, Higgs warned health reforms to be announced in the first quarter of 2020 might not be popular.

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"We're not going to shy away from them," he said. "I hope to be able to communicate in a way that people understand the rationale behind everything we do. I would never suggest that means everyone will like it. It's just that they'll understand why."

Staff shortage a 'tsunami'

Health Minister Ted Flemming has called the shortage of medical professionals in the system a tsunami that has to be addressed.

A recent report by Horizon said a review was underway to address growing wait times in the emergency departments of its five regional hospitals in Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton, Waterville, in the Woodstock area, and Miramichi.

"We are nearing the completion of our current state analysis," the report said. "Next steps are for the project team to identify and prioritize the areas for targeted improvement."

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In January the province announced the creation of 32 new nurse-practitioner positions to reduce the burden on hospital emergency departments.

Last month CBC News reported that the government was looking at ways to centralize hospital laboratories, including a proposal that would see the number of facilities slashed by more than half.