Premier Blaine Higgs speaks to reporters during a media briefing on February 12th, 2020.
Premier Blaine Higgs says reducing ER hours is a step in the right direction in addressing chronic issues in the province’s health care system.
Higgs says he knows this will be a big change, but it’s one that New Brunswickers will have to prepare for.
“Part of change is not only weathering the storm, it’s communicating what this brings, and in New Brunswick, we’re resistant to change, it’s kind of the way we have always been, and as a result, we just continue to get deeper and deeper into problems, and we don’t deal with the root cause,” he said.
During a news conference Wednesday, Higgs said the decision to close the ERs overnight is part of a comprehensive plan to deal with the province’s aging population, mental health crisis and the labour shortage.
“We don’t have the option of ignoring this any longer. It is critical that everyone understand that the changes that your government accepted are designed to keep our hospitals open. They’re designed to protect hospital services across the province,” he said.
Higgs insists the changes will help deal with the root cause by allowing physicians and nurse practitioners to provide better care during the day.
“It’s coming whether we like it or not…it has to happen. We have to fix this,” he said.
Higgs says he doesn’t view this as a loss or a cut. Rather, his government will continue to grow the health care budget this year.
“This has nothing to do with budget. There are no savings here. We’re putting money right back into getting better results with our resources,” he said.
Higgs says the changes were leaked to the public on Monday ahead of the government’s official announcement on Tuesday, giving them a disadvantage.
“Now I would’ve preferred that didn’t happen because I would’ve liked to have the chance for the health authorities and the minister to put all the facts on the table,” he said.
When asked if Higgs thought he could lose power over the changes, he replied: “It’s possible.”
“It’s sad, but it’s sad only in the fact that no matter what people are saying, the political rhetoric will abound. But I’ve said and I hope this is clear. We have to fix our situation in this province, and we have to make decisions that are not popular,” he said.
It’s not certain what will happen once the Legislature resumes next month, but Liberal Leader Kevin Vickers has threatened to topple the Higgs government by either calling a vote of non-confidence or removing their Speaker.
