NO LOWBALL BIDDING
An urgent care clinic in St. John's has hit a stumble, because every bid was too high


CBC
Wed, October 11, 2023

Newfoundland and Labrador Health Minister Tom Osborne told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday that Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services cancelled the Request for Proposals (RFP) process for a new urgent-care clinic in St. John’s because all bids were significantly over budget (10/10/2023) (Peter Cowan/CBC - image credit)

Health Minister Tom Osborne told reporters Tuesday that Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services cancelled the Request for Proposals (RFP) process for a new urgent-care clinic in St. John’s because all bids were significantly over budget. (Peter Cowan/CBC)

Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services has cancelled its request for proposals (RFP) process for a new urgent-care clinic in St. John's because all bids were significantly over budget, said Health Minister Tom Osborne.

The provincial government issued the RFP in mid-March, with the goal of opening a new clinic by May 2024 that would provide care to patients with "unexpected, non-life threatening concerns," Osborne said in March.

The goal of the clinic is to alleviate pressure on the city's emergency rooms, where many patients go for primary care.

At a news conference Tuesday, Osborne said the province's health authority has "gone back to the drawing board" and will be re-issuing a tender for an urgent-care clinic.

He said the government still aims to open a clinic by next spring.

"The RFP was considerably higher than the budget allotted," Osborne told reporters Tuesday.

"It'll certainly be established in 2024 and the aim is to maintain the timelines that we've set out to establish the urgent care."

Seven groups submit proposals

Seven groups submitted proposals, including Marco Group, the Newfoundland & Labrador Health Alliance and Bristol Development Inc.

When asked what changes would be made to the new RFP process to lower costs, Osborne told reporters Tuesday that "I think we have to wait," and that he's not involved in the RFP process.

An urgent-care clinic would offer a middle ground between the hospital ERs and primary care providers, Osborne announced in March.

It's a place where patients can receive treatment for medical issues that aren't emergencies, but that still require immediate attention.

The goal, said Osborne, is for the St. John's urgent-care clinic to operate 12 hours a day, seven days a week, serving about 36,500 people per year.

At a technical briefing in March, officials said the facility will cost $900,000 to open and that the provincial government is looking to rent an existing building for the 20,000-square-foot facility.

Paul Dinn is the health critic for the Newfoundland and Labrador government. He said there should be an investigation into the baby switch at the Springdale Cottage Hospital in 1969.

Progressive Conservative health critic Paul Dinn said it's unlikely an urgent-care clinic will open in St. John's by early 2024. (Luke Carroll/CBC)

Progressive Conservative critic Paul Dinn said it's unlikely the project will be completed by early 2024.

He said while the concept of an urgent-care clinic seems great in theory, it may not be as successful in practice.

He referred to the province's first urgent-care clinic in Whitbourne, which is only open three days a week, and which replaced the town's 24/7 emergency department.

He says the first question that came to mind was why the RFP was cancelled and whether there was a lack of foresight that led to such a decision.

"You start to wonder, OK, what was missed in it or what should've been in it, and we don't know that," said Dinn.

"And to be honest with you at the end of the day, those who are suffering are still those individuals who are sitting in the hallways of the emergency centres still waiting to get care. So they're delayed again."