A1

Quentin Casey
TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

Speak Up

FREDERICTON - Battling New Brunswick's notoriously long medical wait times will be the first major assignment of the province's new health council, its founding chief executive said Tuesday.

Enlarge Photo

Stéphane Robichaud

Stéphane Robichaud is now working to have the council up and running by Sept. 1. In an interview, he said wait times are mentioned repeatedly as the health-care system's most pressing issue.

"That's no big surprise, it's a big (problem)," he said.

"It wouldn't be out of left field to say that's a huge priority right now."

According to the Fraser Institute, a think-tank, New Brunswick had some of Canada's longest wait times for surgery and therapeutic treatments in 2007.

Nationally, the typical wait time from referral by a general practitioner to treatment by a specialist was 18.3 weeks.

In New Brunswick that number was 25.2 weeks, just behind Saskatchewan's nation-leading average of 27.2 weeks.

It will now be at least partially up to the health council to trim those lengthy queues. Health Minister Mike Murphy announced plans for the health council back in March.

He said it would act as a watchdog for health care, with powers to monitor health spending and track the performance of programs - similar to the auditor general's office.

That announcement, however, was largely overshadowed by the more contentious move to reduce the number of regional health authorities from eight to two. Robichaud, a former vice-president of the soon-to-be defunct Beauséjour health authority, said the Moncton-based council will collect data, survey the public and - eventually - direct the department of health on necessary changes.

"It's the voice of the people in determining and shaping the future of health care in New Brunswick," he said.

Since March, Robichaud has visited with officials at the Health Council of Canada and provincial health councils in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

He said efforts by the Alberta council to trim emergency room wait times could serve as a model for New Brunswick.

Robichaud said there is much still to be done before the council is operational. For example, the 16-member board of directors must be appointed by government.

Rino Volpé, brother of Opposition Leader Jeannot Volpé and a former vice-president of J.D. Irving, Limited, will chair the council.

The independent body will start with a staff of about 12 and an annual budget of roughly $1.8 million. Robichaud said the goal is to trim that amount and more from the system through efficiencies and improvements.

"That's what we're striving for," he said. "It's a challenging time, but there's a huge opportunity." On Monday, Murphy said the health council will emerge as the "dark horse" of his health care reforms.

"It will be holding the government's feet to the fire to ensure New Brunswickers are getting what they pay for," said Murphy.

"There will be days where I wake up and wish I never appointed a health council, (but) that's the reason I am appointing it, because it will focus on issues that might slip through the cracks."