Release
Department of Health, Office of the Premier
March 12, 2026
FREDERICTON (GNB) – The government and the New Brunswick Medical Society have signed a four-year physician services agreement focused on improving access to primary care and supporting physicians across the province.
“This agreement marks a turning point for primary care in New Brunswick,” said Premier Susan Holt. “We are catching up and positioning ourselves to keep up. This contract strengthens access for patients, supports physicians and ensures New Brunswick is competitive nationally.”
The 2025-29 agreement covers all physicians working in the public health-care system and represents an estimated $270-million investment over four years; this includes general economic increases and targeted improvements to the system.
The agreement is structured around measurable improvements in patient access. New compensation models reward patient attachment, timely appointments and participation in collaborative care clinics. Monthly reporting is meant to ensure transparency and accountability.
Health Minister John Dornan said the agreement strengthens team-based care and supports recruitment across the province.
"New Brunswickers want timely access to care closer to home,” said Dornan. “This agreement bolsters collaborative care teams to attract new physicians, enabling us to roster more patients, expand after-hours services, and align compensation with patient attachment and continuity of care."
In addition to its focus on patient attachment and expanded team support for collaborative care clinics (medical office assistants, registered nurses and licensed practical nurses, nurse practitioners, and other allied health professionals), the agreement aims to support specialty clinics in rural areas, reducing the travel burden for patients.
The limited and monitored sharing of electronic medical records will allow the department and regional health authorities to measure improvements in these areas while protecting physician autonomy and patient privacy.
The agreement also introduces a structured parental leave program and establishes a physician wellness program to support long-term sustainability in the profession.
Additionally, the agreement includes commitments to review gender pay equity, clinical teaching supports, nursing home coverage and obstetrics payment gaps as part of ongoing efforts to modernize physician compensation and strengthen the health-care system.
“We are pleased that we will now be able to compete nationally and internationally,” said Dr. Lise Babin, president of the New Brunswick Medical Society. “We are also happy to have collectively seized this opportunity to transform our system through new, innovative and accountable payment models developed for family physicians, as well as targeted investments in their clinics and teams that will allow them to take on more patients, more quickly.”
12-03-26
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Media Contact(s)
Meghan Cumby, communications, Department of Health, [email protected].