New Brunswick has promised to produce Canada's first Health Charter of Rights and Responsibilities, but details about the form it will take remain few and far between.
In fact, details were so scarce after the announcement was made during the Speech from the Throne that the New Brunswick Medical Society reserved judgement on the initiative. The announcement followed a recommendation from the Premier's Health Quality Council early last year, which called for a charter covering 5 broad categories of rights: access, decision-making, communication and information, personal consideration and respect, and complaints and questions. The government says it plans to introduce the legislation before summer.
The only concrete initiative announced during the throne speech was the creation of a position to ease patients' access to services, a move that was also recommended by the premier's council. The council's report also called for appointment of a public trustee to protect patients who are incapable of making decisions about their own care. It is not known if the government will adopt all of the report's recommendations in the new charter. — Tracey Thorne, Fredericton