On May 7, 2024 the Minister of Health released a plan entitled New Brunswick Primary Health Care Action Plan.  He said that it re-iterates the government’s commitment to improving access to health care services. 

Since its release, it has been faced with criticism from the Medical Society in which its President, Dr. Paula Keating, said that she had not seen the plan prior to its release.  Other groups that should have perspective have not exactly been too vocal thus far.

The plan consists of 26 pages of description of issues in the current primary care system with ideas for implementation to create a primary care system in a province in which, as the plan states, has primary care provided by a group of “moving parts” that are not organized in any “cohesive system.”  That lack of organization has been more than a little apparent in the past two decades as family physicians have retired requiring sometimes three physicians to take over their practice. Worse still is the something over 60,000 New Brunswick residents that have no access to essential primary care services.

He was a young man in his prime, gainfully employed in business, then was overtaken by what turned out to be a congenital heart issue requiring open heart surgery.  With the success of the surgery combined with the clinical history, careful monitoring on some regular basis would be normal.  Yet he is one of those persons, not defined as a senior, who has no access to primary care.  Family physician closed practice with records somewhere, cardiologist retired.  What is a person to do for follow up?

Another man with history of heart disease following a very active life involving service in health care and public service; family doctor retired so access to primary care is a 90-minute drive to see a terrific nurse practitioner.

Another lady with serious dementia, managed for a considerable time at home by the husband until recent admission to nursing home, whose family physician left the province with no transition arrangements for continued primary care.