Will the Holt government address the family doctor shortage in New Brunswick?

More New Brunswickers did not have access to a family doctor in 2024 than the year before, according to a survey by the New Brunswick Health Council released in June. Twenty-three per cent of New Brunswickers did not have a primary care provider in 2024, a 2 per cent increase from the year prior.

Before the election, the Liberals and Greens attacked then Premier Blaine Higgs for not having a platform to address the 180,000 people without a family doctor. Almost a year after the New Brunswick election, Liberal Premier Susan Holt needs to address the larger number of people without access to primary care.

According to a 2024 Environics Poll commissioned by the Canadian Health Coalition, when asked about major health care concerns, 82 per cent of New Brunswickers surveyed identified the shortage of health care workers and 77 per cent named waiting times to see medical professionals.

Holt and the Liberal MLAs need to be asked about their plan to end the doctor shortage.

Having adequate preventative care heavily reduces the burden and reliance on emergency rooms by New Brunswickers, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). As the saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” A single death due to a health care failure is a tragedy, but constant tragedies begin to blur together.

Imagine developing HIV/AIDS and not seeing a regular physician. If left untreated, it becomes lethal, and once it reaches a severe level, it is proven financially far more costly to provide emergency care, rather than the necessary preventative care.

A primary physician can identify developing illnesses. Primary care providers know their patient, their history, and their baseline health.

I am profoundly lucky to have had a family doctor for most of my life. I have experienced significant medical issues for over a decade. Alongside my family, my doctor has been an extraordinary advocate for my health. He has approved tests and referred me to various specialists. All New Brunswickers should have the same access to primary care as I did.

Not having access to a primary care provider disproportionately harms disadvantaged groups in the province, such as those living in poverty, Acadians, Indigenous people, those with disabilities, and those who have recently moved to the province.

The Holt government, like the Higgs government before it, said it will address the doctor shortage by introducing more team-based care to the system. Prior to the election, Holt promised the creation of 30 collaborative care clinics across the province. Today, the Holt government claims they are increasing access to local clinics and specialists. But what about the family doctor shortage?

A family doctor that knows your baseline health and history, someone who is capable of advocating for you to specialists, is a key plank of primary care access and cannot simply be substituted without consequence to health care outcomes.

When Grandpa starts complaining about arm pain, he could be suffering heart issues. If he cannot see a regular physician, he is more likely to be misdiagnosed, or not diagnosed at all. That means Grandpa is far more likely to die from a preventable heart attack.

Every unnecessary ER death caused by this shortage is one too many. This is not because of malpractice, but because the physician does not know their patient, their history, and their baseline health. They will only become more common as this crisis worsens, unless we demand accountability from provincial leadership. When we talk about health care, it’s often easy to forget what it means to have a health care shortage. It means New Brunswickers will die.

Let’s ask a simple question: What could we do right now to stop the bleeding?

The most efficient doctor practices in the province do an average of 4,000 visits a year, according to the New Brunswick Health Council. Using this, let’s assume that provincial doctors could see each of their patients once per year. Hiring 60 additional doctors would help with the current shortage. Of course, this is nowhere near enough, imagine having cancer and only seeing your doctor once a year. But it helps with the shortage in the immediate term.

Also, imagine your family doctor retires, or that the paperwork gets lost and you lose critical coverage of necessary lifesaving medication like insulin. A diabetic can become ill within 24 hours without insulin. If they cannot afford medication out of pocket, there is a potential they could die in a single weekend.

Reducing paperwork burdens by 10 per cent would add the equivalent of 152 extra doctors to the system, according to a 2023 study by the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses.

Let’s be clear: there is no “shortcut” for fixing the health care system. Fundamentally, it is a question of adequately funding, supporting, and reinvesting into the system. We need more doctors, nurses, support staff, hospitals, clinics, and access to medication. We also need a system that will not burn out the very workers dedicated to preserving life.

New Brunswick has the highest rate of nurses, eight of ten, quitting their profession before the age of 35 due to workplace conditions, according to a 2024 report by Montreal Economic Institute.

If we want a strong health care system, we need to support it. The CATO Institute notes that federal corporate taxes are nearly a third of the rate they were in the 1970s. Both the Liberals and Tories are the architects of financial shortfalls by ensuring their rich cronies are not paying their fair share of taxes. They are the only ones to blame for gutting the public health care system and letting it bleed.

Liberals and Tories may complain about the costs of achieving access to primary care for all. However, having more doctors reduces the financial burden on our medical system. Importantly, “Increased spending towards preventive and social care programs can ultimately lead to improved health and well-being at a lower overall cost.”

The system is fixable.

Alex Gagne is a Moncton-based activist. He holds a degree in political science from St. Thomas University. He is the former Youth Chair and Vice President of the New Brunswick NDP. Alex was also the NDP Candidate for Beausejour in the 2025 Federal Election.