The New Brunswick Medical Society has released a statement saying “recent political intervention” has left health-care workers “feeling frustrated, disrespected and undervalued” amid an ongoing health-care worker shortage.
Dr. Mark MacMillan and Dr. Chris Goodyear signed the letter sent out on Thursday evening.
“Clinicians have trained for many years and possess the skills to be trusted to handle situations that arise in providing appropriate patient care,” the statement said. “For obvious reasons, politicians and other administrators often lack a complete comprehension of all aspects of a clinical situation; therefore, inserting themselves or commenting on the clinical aspects of health care can prove not only unhelpful, but also dangerous.”
The statement came after reports that Premier Blaine Higgs had interfered in the case of John Barnet, who was discharged from the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital after an accident on his motorcycle where he had several injuries, including a broken neck and sternum.
At least one doctor later made reference to the incident on social media, indicating the decision followed medical protocol for that type of injury.
In an interview on Friday, MacMillan said the statement was in response to perceptions the public may have about the health-care system.
“We want to make sure that people know that certain stories that are put out about health care, about physicians and nurses, we can’t reply to those for legal and ethical purposes, and so the stories aren’t always a full story,” he said.
He said there are ways for concerns about a person’s care to be addressed and those without any medical experience should not be weighing in.
“Sometimes, despite the best intentions, someone may want to try to get involved in a case and make some suggestions or provide feedback and to try to make some changes, however, the physician and the nurse who are providing the care are those who are best capable of making decisions at that time.”
Health-care workers directly involved in cases, MacMillan explained, have the best knowledge of the medical issues at hand and they are “the ones who should be making the medical decision.”
MacMillan wouldn’t say whether the statement was directed toward Higgs, but said it was for “any politician or any other administrator who feel they want to comment on a particular case.”
He said the interference has created a sense of demoralization among health-care workers, something he’s heard from many who share his profession as a doctor.
“This was in response to multiple concerns brought to myself and Dr. Goodyear regarding feelings of demoralization. I’ve received multiple texts and phone calls this morning from my colleagues all over the province saying thank you. The public needs to know this information.”
Margaret Melanson, the interim CEO of Horizon Health Network, said in an interview on Friday she was not feeling any political pressure.
“It is our priority to engage with all our staff and physicians toward the improvement efforts and improvement in access that we are undertaking and we’re moving full steam ahead,” she said.
She said she’s been “given a clear mandate to move forward toward our improvement efforts.”
Premier Blaine Higgs was not made available for an interview on Friday.
In an email statement, he said “our system is running the same way it has for multiple decades. Our doctors still largely practice in silos. This needs to change as it is preventing a system that is efficient, effective and centered around each New Brunswicker.”
“As premier, I have committed to making those changes happen and I need all of those involved in providing health care to work together so we can implement the solutions required,” he said in the statement.
Higgs stopped short of addressing any political interference. He did not respond to direct questions on whether he would commit to not interfering in any further medical decisions either.
“New Brunswickers deserve an improved health-care system and while I know some areas will take more time, we need to move quickly in the areas where we can in order to improve every person’s health-care needs,” he said in the statement.
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