The current course of the health system in New Brunswick is considered to be unsustainable: although we spend more on health than the national average, our health status is generally worse than the national average, and we underperform compared to the rest of the country for key health service quality indicators. The situation is only projected to worsen if we keep the system as is.
The table below summarizes the situation in New Brunswick related to three health system aims and suggests potential planning opportunities. Additional information and resources related to health system sustainability are available below the table.
Overview of health sustainability aims and planning opportunities
|Aims for the health system||Where we stand in New Brunswick||Planning opportunities|
|Aim 1: To have an engaged and healthy population||Our health status is worse than the national average in several areas. For example, we have higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) and avoidable mortality than the Canadian average.||
|Aim 2: Improved health service quality||
The quality of our health services varies greatly throughout the province. This variability is reflected in areas such as:
Also, we underperform compared to the rest of the country for the following:
|Aim 3: To have a sustainable health system||
Our health spending and human resource levels exceed the national average. For example: