A10

Mike Murphy

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This week I want to talk about focus. The new health care governance reforms that will officially take effect on Sept. 1 will renew focus on most efficient ways to deliver health care services to the people of New Brunswick.

One of the major components of these reforms is, of course, the move from eight regional health authorities to two. This change has attracted lots of attention, but patients won't see any changes in the services they receive when the new authorities take over the administration of the province's health-care system.

The changes that aim to cut down on wait times as well as improve overall access to medications and services will be implemented over a period time. But it is important to note that these changes, when made, will be for all New Brunswickers and will not be region specific.

Another component of the health care reforms, taking place at the beginning of September, is the introduction of a New Brunswick Health Council. The Health Council will prepare an annual report, play an advocacy role and offer a forum to citizens that was previously channeled through the old regional health authorities.

The members of the Health Council will not be made up of medical experts but rather, made up of people who can help these experts see the big picture. This big picture would be, of course, painted by the citizen and patient concerns that the Health Council is there to represent.

It will hold the government's feet to the fire to ensure New Brunswickers are getting what they pay for in terms of health services. This is an arm's length council that will wield a great deal of power acting as a hybrid between a public advocacy forum and an auditor, balancing both by measuring the fiscal and the clinical performance of the health-care system. It will also investigate areas of the system that it believes may be under-performing or areas where improvements can be made.

It can act on requests from the public, or its own councillors. These requests can be varied and will be able to address anything from wait times to the availability of bilingual services. This council's annual report, that it will publish, will make direct recommendations for the improvement of services.

With the Health Council presence, it can be certain that those issues that slipped through the cracks before will not be over looked. The beginning of September will be a day of renewed focus, a focus toward putting patients first.

* Mike Murphy is the Provincial Health Minister and MLA for Moncton-North. He can be reached at his office on Mountain Road or by phone at 869-6115.