A New Brunswick doctor says working in an after-hours clinic is no longer financially viable for physicians, which could lead to the closure of more of these clinics at a time when tens of thousands remain without a family doctor.
“I’m not the owner of the clinic. I just work here part-time. I don’t want to see it closed down but it’s going to be hard to justify continuing to work when the salary keeps getting smaller and smaller,” Dr. Mark Waite said.
Waite works at the Coverdale After Hours Medical Clinic in Riverview, N.B., where the phone never stops ringing.
The clinic’s owner, Stacey Laine, says despite the heavy workload, she doesn’t take a salary and has had to occasionally use her own money to cover clinic expenses.
“In the current fee structure for after hours — the Code 3, the breakdown — because I pay the physician, what I am left with to run the overhead, pay my staff, pay my payroll taxes is $8.83 per patient,” she said.
Laine says she also struggles to keep enough doctors on staff because the fee they receive for this work is much lower than other work they could be doing.
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Waite was discouraged to see that the fee wasn’t increased in the new Physician Services Agreement ratified by the provincial government and New Brunswick Medical Society.
“In 2001, it was $29 per patient. Now, for walk-in clinics in 2025, it’s still $29,” he said.
“And with the new contract, it is going to remain at $29 for the next four years. So this is 28 years with a zero per cent increase.”
The province said in November 2025 that the $270-million agreement introduces new compensation models that reward physicians for patient attachment and participation in team-based practice.
While New Brunswick has introduced services such as NB Health Link and eVisitNB, Waite says after-hours clinics are still vital to the health-care system.
eVisitNB is an online only service, and NB Health Link is designed to provide primary care, like diagnostic and providing referrals to those without a family doctor or nurse practitioner.
“The walk-in clinics are open to everyone who needs it. So that includes patients who need acute care for their infections. It’s also people who don’t have family physicians and aren’t rostered on NB Health Link who have chronic conditions that need followup,” he said.
“So we’re following up diabetes, chronic pain, mental health, long-term disabilities.”
Laine says she wants to keep her clinic open at all costs, but admits it isn’t easy.
“I’ve had my moments where I think my head hurts but then I think ‘no,’ because where are they going? They’ll be sitting in emerg,” she said.
The province’s Department of Health told Global News that further details on the Physician Services Agreement will be provided once it is signed.
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