Partnership gives patients awaiting cataract surgery in Chaleur region faster service

Thursday, September 29, 2022 – Vitalité Health Network has forged a partnership with the Acadie-Bathurst Ophthalmology Center that will double the efficiency of cataract surgery services in the region.  Under the agreement, cataract surgery services will be provided by this clinic in Bathurst, which will free up operating rooms at the Chaleur Regional Hospital and increase efficiency.

From left to right: Gérald Richard, Trustee of Vitalité Health Network; Dr. Robert Javidi; Dr. France Desrosiers, President and CEO of Vitalité Health Network; Bruce Fitch, Minister of Health; and Thérèse Landry, patient.

The Minister of Health, Bruce Fitch, as well as the President and CEO of the Network, Dr. France Desrosiers, were in Bathurst on September 29, 2022 to underscore the importance of this pilot project, funded by the Department of Health, which will cost $2.3 million annually and provide faster treatment for the hundreds of patients in the Chaleur region awaiting cataract surgery.

“This initiative accurately reflects Vitalité Health Network’s efforts to better meet the needs of our patients and communities. This is not a step toward the privatization of services but is instead a model based on collaboration and use of the facilities and equipment of the Acadie-Bathurst Ophthalmology Center to improve our cataract surgery services,” Dr. Desrosiers explained.

Just over 30 cataract surgeries per week are currently being performed but the pilot project will increase this number to approximately 75.

“The Acadie-Bathurst Ophthalmology Center pilot project is just one example of the innovative solutions we are finding to improve the health care system. We are funding this project to see how it improves patient services and relieves the pressure on hospitals,” Minister Fitch stated.

One of the two Bathurst surgeons who will be implementing this project, Dr. Robert Javidi, was very pleased with this partnership involving the Department of Health and Vitalité Health Network.  “Thanks to cutting-edge equipment and a highly skilled and dedicated team, patients will receive exceptional services within a much shorter time frame,” Dr. Javidi proudly added.

This initiative will help meet the objectives contained in the New Brunswick Health Plan, particularly with respect to health care accessibility.