Healthcare worker denounces minister’s comments; eVisitNB says it’s open to collaboration
An eVisitNB healthcare worker says comments made by New Brunswick Health Minister Dr. John Dornan during a news conference about virtual care were “insulting” and “disrespectful.”
While speaking to reporters on Thursday, June 11, Dr. John Dornan took shots at eVisitNB while explaining New Brunswick’s new virtual care model being rolled out in less than three weeks.
Foundever will take over from eVisitNB on July 1. The new service will be called Virtual Care NB.
Dornan told members of the media that virtual care is moving to a guided-entry model that he says “helps patients access the care that best meets their needs.”
Dornan said the online symptom checker and Tele-Care 811 will serve as the main entry points – assessing patient needs, offering navigational support and guiding people to the appropriate care.
Depending on their needs, Dr. Dornan said patients will be directed to their primary care provider, pharmacists, virtual care, medical clinics, addictions and mental health services, urgent or emergency care, or other services.
“This approach integrates virtual care within the broader health-care system and helps ensure patients are connected to the most appropriate care for their needs,” said the health minister.
The service will operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.
Last fall, the Holt government issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for virtual care services in New Brunswick.
eVisitNB, which was created during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, had been contracted by the province to provide virtual care to New Brunswickers since 2022, without an RFP, but was not awarded the new contract.
Since then, opposition MLAs have been urging the government to change its mind and renew eVisitNB’s contract, noting that it should opt for a homegrown option rather than using an offshore company. Foundever has been operating 811 services in the province for decades.
20-minute appointment model
During Thursday’s news conference, Dr. Dornan said he shared some of the concerns expressed in a public letter from eVisitNB nurse practitioners (NPs) about the new provider, with Foundever, including the company’s decision to offer only 20-minute appointments.
Currently, with eVisitNB, if patients are taking time to, for example, take their blood pressure, weigh themselves, or find a child’s medicare card, another appointment can be started while the NP is waiting.
Dornan took exception with NPs multitasking.
“I know that in my career I shouldn’t be listening to three different patients with three different stories; three different needs at the same time, you make errors, you can confuse stories, and so I was concerned about that report. I am pleased that Virtual Care NB won’t be allowing that. You’ll deal with one patient at a time until the issues are resolved and move on to the next patient.”
A health care provider with eVisitNB, who did not want to be named because they are worried about future employment repercussions, said it is evident that Dr. Dornan has neither operated a family practice nor worked in an emergency room setting.
“His comments are insulting and disrespectful. [EvisitNB] has been providing booked appointments for two years now, in a partnership with 811. Providers don’t even get paid if a consult is five minutes or under, so his condescending remark about a three-minute consult is so inappropriate,” they said.
The healthcare worker explained that having multiple consults ‘open’ is no different from a physician’s office having three or four offices, with patients sitting and waiting for care, or having a doctor tend to multiple people in a hospital emergency room.
“There can be a significant lag in [the patient] responding to the provider’s questions. The majority of our consults are well over 20 minutes in length. Some providers stay on with mental health cases or complex cases for close to an hour,” they said. “If he doesn’t know all those facts, how negligent is he?”
NP numbers and capacity concerns
In answering reporters’ questions during the news conference, Dornan also suggested that eVisitNB’s roster numbers were inflated.
“You know, having 150 nurse practitioners on your books does not mean you were getting 150 nurse practitioners working full-time for the prior provider,” he said. “In fact, some of those folks on that list never gave any hours to the provider. What we have now is nurse practitioners that are working full-time, not distracted by other things.”
Prior to January 2026, when it was announced that a new virtual care provider would be taking over the service, the eVisitNB healthcare worker said that all NPs on its roster were serving patients.
“We had some who decided not to work for us this year after the news broke that we didn’t get the contract, because they were looking for work elsewhere. Many asked us to keep them on the list in case something changed,” they explained. “We’re talking about, I think, 22 or 24 nurse practitioners. Up until that point, all our [NPs] were working with patients.”
Dornan said that to date, only 27 nurse practitioners had been hired by Foundever.
The River Valley Sun reached out to eVisitNB founder and CEO Dr. Hanif Chatur, who declined to comment on the health minister’s remarks, but said he could confirm that when he started his contract with the province, he had 82 NPs on staff, which he said “wasn’t enough” to meet the demand.
When asked whether he’s met with Dr. Dornan to discuss eVisitNB’s future after July 1, Dr. Chatur said he has never met with the health minister.
“He’s never requested a meeting,” he said.
The River Valley Sun also contacted Horizon Health to ask whether there are concerns about the impact so few Virtual Care NB NPs will have on emergency room capacity across the province during peak vacation season. We hope to hear from a Horizon Health official next week.
Currently, eVisitNB is averaging approximately 800 patients per day.
eVisitNB’s future
Chatur said despite what’s happened, he believes there is room for both providers to help patients.
“Why do we need to close eVisitNB? We can add to the healthcare choices of New Brunswickers. There’s an opportunity to take the best of eVisitNB and combine it with 811 and Foundever. That means improved access, coordination, and ultimately improved outcomes for all,” said Dr. Chatur in an email.
“I am ready to talk with the minister and Foundever on how we can both continue to work together, as we have for the last two years, to be a national leader in digital health in Canada,” he said. “It’s not too late to find a win-win for New Brunswickers.”
More to come…
