St. John’s, NL (May 28, 2025) – Barry Petten, PC Shadow Minister for Health and Community Services and MHA for Conception Bay South, is calling on the Liberal government to clarify their stance on virtual healthcare in rural areas of the province following comments in the media this week by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services that raise serious concerns about the Liberals’ approach to rural healthcare.

Dr. Pat Parfrey has endorsed the growing reliance on virtual care in rural regions, suggesting it is an “important part” of primary and emergency care. His latest remarks were related to recent public concerns around services provided by the Chief of Family Medicine in Central Newfoundland who lives outside the province.

"Let’s be clear: virtual care is not a replacement for having doctors and nurse practitioners physically present in our rural emergency rooms or community clinics,” said Petten. “When the only option is to call a doctor on a computer screen, it is not acceptable. The people of rural Newfoundland and Labrador deserve better.”

Petten pointed out that this is not the first time Dr. Parfrey has made public comments that downplay the healthcare needs of rural residents. In March, the CEO blamed urbanization for the lack of family doctors in rural areas, calling it an “eternal barrier.”  Now, he is suggesting virtual coverage is good enough for residents in the central region of the province.

"The people of Newfoundland and Labrador deserve to know if the Liberal government supports real, in-person rural healthcare, or are they satisfied with rural services being offered by virtual care," added Petten. "Do they agree with rural healthcare becoming virtual healthcare?”

A Progressive Conservative government, led by Tony Wakeham, will work to ensure residents in all regions of Newfoundland and Labrador have access to primary healthcare, including in-person services from doctors and nurse practitioners.