May 29, 1997
(Health)

Health Minister announces new projects arising from Health Forum

An improved compensation package for emergency room doctors, implementation of Workload Measurement Systems for nurses, the establishment of Primary Care Service and Teaching Units in Twillingate and Port aux Basques and the formation of an advisory committee on health issues are the first in a series of announcements flowing from the Provincial Health Forum, said Health Minister Joan Marie Aylward at a news conference today.

One of the priorities requiring immediate action by government is physician coverage in our emergency rooms. "Today, I am announcing a new compensation package for emergency room coverage that I believe will alleviate the shortage of emergency room doctors in hospitals throughout the province," said the minister. "This new package will increase the salary offered to casualty officers working in emergency rooms by $19,000 per year. This will bring the starting salary from $60,894 to $79,894, which amounts to an increase of $730.77 per pay period and $1,460.54 monthly." Physicians who do not have an office practice but who provide coverage in emergency rooms will be paid an hourly rate of $65, which translates into $780 for each 12 hour shift, $2,600 per week, $10,400 per month and $119,600 based on 46 weeks work. Physicians who have office practices with overhead costs will be compensated at a rate of $85 per hour. Physicians still retain the option of billing fee for service where fee for service compensation exceeds the hourly rate.

The hiring of five physicians for rural Newfoundland, announced yesterday by the Health Care Association, is an early indication recently announced measures by government to recruit and retain doctors are working. "We have recently addressed some of the financial concerns through isolation bonuses and through the geographic supplement announced in the last provincial budget. Together, these two initiatives substantially increase a physician's annual income, bringing for example the average pay of an assistant medical officer in an isolated region of the province up from $77,125 to $118,325. Today's package will further assist in our efforts to provide accessible physician resources where they are most needed. With this new payment mechanism in place, I am confident more doctors will provide coverage to emergency rooms, providing a stable and consistent service for patients who need to access emergency care."

The minister also announced two pilot projects which will focus on evidence based practice in the utilization of nursing personnel. "The introduction of a Nursing Workload Measurement System in the Grenfell Regional Health Services Board and in the Central East Health Care Institutions Board will provide us with additional information required for setting standards for hours of nursing care for specific patients. This will contribute to an overall information system which ensures we establish and maintain appropriate standards in providing adequate nursing resources. The information gathered will ensure we deploy nurses most effectively in our health care institutions," said the minister.

"We heard from many forum participants of the need for health professionals to work more collaboratively with one another as teams of caregivers, and to emphasize prevention and community based delivery systems. Towards that end, I am proposing a pilot project for the establishment of Rural Primary Care Service and Teaching Units in two sites; Port aux Basques and Twillingate, while enhancing the existing unit in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. These units will house a team of physicians, nurse practitioners and allied health professionals. A teaching and research component will be an integral part of these units, creating a group of colleagues who provide both direct care and educational instruction for other health providers. With new advances in tele-health technology, these centres could serve as teaching units for various disciplines."

Ms. Aylward added that these units are also intended to improve recruitment and retention of rural physicians. "We realize that educational opportunities and lifestyle issues are important for attracting physicians to rural parts of the province. This concept will allow physicians to work as part of a team of health professionals, providing patient care while furthering educational and research opportunities. This will help address lifestyle issues many physicians in rural parts of the province encounter in terms of long hours, inflexible schedules and limited opportunities for professional development," added Ms. Aylward.

The move towards service and teaching units complements recent efforts by government to recruit and retain physicians to rural parts of the province. "With Newfoundland and Labrador now offering more competitive financial compensation, as well as new opportunities inherent in the service and teaching units, we should meet with greater success in solving our rural doctor problem," said the minister.

"During the provincial health forum earlier this month, consumers, administrators and direct health providers from a number of different disciplines came together to look at issues of concern in our health system," said Ms. Aylward. She emphasized the value of continuing similar discussions. "We heard from all participants that the forum was a valuable exercise, producing candid and open discussion about our health system," she said. "Because this interaction and discussion proved such a valuable exercise, I am pleased to announce today, the establishment of an advisory committee to meet at least twice a year to discuss issues of concern and to report back to government on strategic directions for our health system. Membership for the advisory committee will be comprised primarily of the organizations represented at the forum, as well as some new stakeholders, approximately 20 members. I anticipate the committee will hold their first meeting this fall."

"The announcements today reflect some of the strategic directions we heard at the provincial health forum. We are proposing both short and long term solutions to shape the way we deliver health to communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. Today's announcements, totaling more than $3.5 million, are the first in a series of announcements to come out of the provincial health forum. Over the next three years, government will re-invest approximately $20 million for rural and emergency room medical services. I will be making more announcements over the coming weeks and months to improve and enhance the way we deliver health care."

Contact: Jill Sooley, (709) 729-1377