New Brunswick has the highest rate of chronic health conditions such as hypertension, arthritis, depression, and diabetes in the country, according to a report from the New Brunswick Health Council.
62 per cent of New Brunswickers have a chronic health ailment with 20 per cent having at least three and that could go up to 25 per cent by 2023.
The Health Council projects treating chronic health conditions could increase the cost of healthcare in the province by 100 million dollars. It recommends more needs to be done on preventing people from getting sick in the first place and on primary healthcare.
The average cost of health services for a person suffering from three chronic conditions in New Brunswick is over 52 hundred dollars compared to more than 12 hundred for someone with no chronic ailments.
To read the full report, click here
