New Brunswick rolled out dozens of collaborative care clinics to help you find a doctor faster. The government promised these clinics would pull thousands of people off the provincial waitlist. Now Auditor General Paul Martin says the Department of Health relies on flawed data to track that progress.

Martin released a scathing audit on Tuesday. He found the province cannot prove these new clinics actually improve healthcare access where communities need it most.

“The department has reported progress, but incomplete and inaccurate information makes it difficult to determine the model’s actual impact,” Martin said in a news release.

Waitlists Continue to Grow

Premier Susan Holt set a target to open 30 collaborative care clinics by the end of 2028. The province opened 11 clinics in 2025 alone. Despite this expansion the waitlist for a primary care provider grew by 40,000 people that same year. Holt confirmed during her January State of the Province address that the waitlist now sits at roughly 238,000 people.

What the Audit Uncovered

Martin examined 14 clinics announced between April 2025 and March 2026. His team discovered an impractical rollout strategy. The Department of Health failed to document community needs before placing clinics. Officials also applied performance monitoring inconsistently and left massive gaps in patient attachment data.

These failures severely limit the department’s ability to measure success. Martin noted the department simply does not know if the new clinics successfully removed patients from the waitlist. He called the current waitlist data inaccurate and unreliable.

“Stronger monitoring and accurate public reporting are essential as additional resources are committed,” Martin said.

Read the full original report on CTV News.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a collaborative care clinic?

A collaborative care clinic brings together different healthcare professionals like doctors and nurses to provide team based primary care to patients.

How many people are on the New Brunswick healthcare waitlist?

As of early 2026 approximately 238,000 New Brunswickers are waiting for a primary care provider.

What did the Auditor General find?

Auditor General Paul Martin found the Department of Health uses inaccurate and unreliable data to track the success of new collaborative care clinics. The department cannot prove these clinics are reducing the provincial waitlist.