The health minister does not know how many responses they received in the RFP to provide virtual care services in the province, but calls the process used to select a provider “rigorous.”

Dr. Todd Young of Medicuro told VOCM News this week that he made a submission to supply the service but the contract went to Teledoc. Young says he could have supplied the service locally for far less than the $22 million dollar two-year contract awarded to the US-based company.

Tom Osborne says cost is not the only factor in choosing a submission. He says the department was not involved in the procurement process which was issued by NL Health Services.

What Osborne did say is that all submissions “went through an open and transparent procurement process.” He says the department did ensure that there was a fairness adviser to oversee the process, and that evaluators had clinical, technical and policy expertise. He says any submissions also had to meet all of the requirements of the RFP.

The minister says even when NL Health Services came to him with their preferred choice, he had the procurement office have another look at the proposal “to make sure all the I’s were dotted and the T’s were crossed.”

He says Medicuro will have an opportunity to sit with NL Health Services to discuss the process.