N.B. health care considering some privatization: Murphy

New Brunswick's health minister says the province's health-care system may consider the privatization of some services, because spending $5.5 million a day on health services is not sustainable.

Health costs in the province are going up by seven per cent a year, so Health Minister Mike Murphy wants to see if the private sector could have a role in making the province's system more efficient.

"Some New Brunswickers are saying that [privatizing] shouldn't be done," Murphy said.

"Some New Brunswickers are saying that it should be done. No decisions have been made, it's a matter of discussion and we're listening to everybody. We haven't moved in a policy direction. But we are evaluating all of the options that have been presented to us by people around this province. And there'll come a time that decisions will be made one way or the other."

The Opposition Conservatives were mostly quiet on the issue, with interim leader Jeannot Volpé only saying that his party is concerned the Liberals could be leaning towards a fee-for-service system.

"[Murphy] is open to new concepts to raise money to deliver health care," Volpé said. "I don't know how far he'll go, but [fee-for-service] is the [system] they've used in Ontario … we'll see in the near future, but I hope that's not the way they go."

While the merging of health authorities is one cost-cutting option Murphy is looking at, he ruled out merging the Moncton-area Beausejour and Southeast Health Authorities.

He would not say if the idea is off the table for any of the other six regions.