Health minister responds to NLMA on family doctors
John Haggie says issue is maximizing use of professional skill sets
Comments made to the CBC earlier this week were not about de-valuing physicians, according to a statement provided on behalf of Health Minister John Haggie.
The minister was responding to a statement issued by the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association (NLMA) on Wednesday, saying the association was of the opinion his comments to the public broadcaster were an indication the provincial government plans to reduce patient access to physicians.
Haggie told the CBC, “The whole big discussion point in health care is around scopes of practice. We have significant resources that could take a big part of the health care delivery away from a physician-centred model. Eighty per cent of a general, normal day’s work for a family practitioner can be managed perfectly well and in some respects with a better outcome by nurse practitioners, for example.”
In a separate statement, provided to The Telegram Wednesday, it was suggested the minister was speaking about how to get the right care from the right health care provider.
“In my 30 years as a physician, I worked with a variety of health care professionals. As minister, I work with representatives from all professions,” Haggie stated, noting he was recently in discussions on how paramedics can work to their full scope of practice.
“Each health care professional has a unique contribution that lies at the high end of their skill set. Primary health care is a team-based approach which will see practitioners working to their full skill set. It works well in other jurisdictions, and both the NLMA and government have committed time and resources to drive this forward in our province.”
The minister says the province needs doctors available and able to tackle the complex problems they are qualified to address, just as it needs nurse practitioners, midwives and other professionals working to the full scope of their practice.
“It is by using this approach that we will achieve the best health care outcomes for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians,” he said.