Premier Blaine Higgs is disputing claims by the CEO of Vitalité Health Network that costly travel nurse contracts were the result of a refusal by his government to approve other, less expensive options to deal with the staffing crisis in 2022. Dr. France Desrosiers told a legislative committee Thursday that the $123 million in contracts were awarded due to pressure from the Higgs government to fix the health-care system quickly — and after nine other proposals, such as retention bonuses and premiums for working in short-staffed units, were rejected.
In a written statement issued Friday afternoon, Higgs said, it's "inaccurate" to say Vitalité's recommendations were less expensive or would have resolved issues more quickly. "Vitalité was proposing long-term, permanent changes to how nurses are compensated, which ultimately would have cost taxpayers significantly more," he argued. The options presented by Vitalité could not be unilaterally implemented by the government either, said Higgs.
Any changes to compensation for nurses, such as pay and vacation days, must be negotiated with the New Brunswick Nurses Union. "As everyone knows, union negotiations take time." Vitalité CEO says top health official gave 'green light' to travel-nurse contracts While Higgs acknowledged there was an urgency to fill vacancies during the COVID-19 pandemic, "there was absolutely no direction by our government or by public servants for the CEO to sign long-term contracts," he said, noting.
