Nouvelles

Telegraph-Journal
p. A1, samedi, 27 décembre 2008

Turbulent times for health care

Adam Huras

 

Conservative health critic Margaret-Ann Blaney doesn't mince any words when it comes to the provincial Department of Health and its minister Mike Murphy.

"It's time for Mike to step aside," she says when asked for her opinion of changes to New Brunswick's health care system.

"Well, Mike has singlehandedly done a lot of damage to the department," Blaney says. "And it was completely unnecessary."

In the space of a year, Murphy's moves have been fast and many of them controversial.

*"‚He introduced the province to a privately run ambulance service that was quickly accused of failing local residents because of slow response times and dispatchers who didn't understand the geography of the region;

*"‚He called for the creation of a new mental health strategy and appointed a task force on mental health, describing those suffering from mental illness as the "orphans" of the health-care system;

*"‚He is waging what he termed a war on waiting times for treatment in New Brunswick hospitals. Spending initiatives included close to a million dollars for new equipment at the Moncton Hospital to help eliminate a 54-week wait for first mammogram screening appointments. The wait was a staggering 294 days longer than the national standard.

But none of those changes compare to his most significant move.

On Sept. 1, the number of New Brunswick regional health authorities was cut from eight to two. Murphy said the change would save the health-care system millions of dollars, make it easier for patients to access care in other regions of the province and, at the same time, reduce wait times.

The fallout has yet to end.

"He introduced a bill that dissolved eight RHA's and created two and, in doing so, he said after second reading (of the bill to create the new administrative structure) there would be no discussion, no debate," Blaney says.

"That has never happened. It's never happened that a bill is introduced and it doesn't go to third reading, committee of the whole and through the legislative process. He completely circumvented all democratic processes and, as a result, he created a linguistic divide, the likes of which we have never seen."

After the creation of a francophone regional Health Authority A and an anglophone Regional Health Authority B, the province was served with a legal challenge from francophones who say their constitutional rights were ignored in the merger.

The government engaged a team of lawyers from outside the Department of Justice that will file a defence in early January.

Michel Doucet, the lawyer who represents the Moncton-based francophone advocacy group that has launched the constitutional challenge, believes a long, drawn-out court case could result in duality in New Brunswick health care and the undoing of the merger.

On another front, Murphy also must react to the results of a pathology inquiry which proved the Miramichi Regional Health Authority did not have quality assurance measures in place in its hospital lab and did not take responsibility for ensuring patient safety.

And 10 days ago, Dr. James O'Brien, resigned on Dec. 17 from his position as the Saint John zone's medical director over his frustration with what's happening in health care in New Brunswick.

"There has been a deluge of stories and situations I have been made aware of that all indicate we have somebody at the helm who is determined to dismantle all the good stuff we have," Blaney says.

Blaney says she agrees health care is one of the province's toughest challenges, but she believes Murphy made it that way.

"But it's the nature of how he deals with the people. Health care is all about people."

Murphy was given the opportunity to respond to Blaney's criticisms by the Telegraph-Journal. But his communications people said Murphy's reaction was "request denied."

Calls to the CEOs of the regional health authorities were not returned.