One of the candidates for the Liberal leadership says he knows how to save $200-million in health care costs and, at the same time, improve outcomes.

John Abbott, who’s campaigning today on the west coast, says he saw many opportunities to deliver health care more effectively during his time as deputy minister of health, but political considerations stood in the way. He promises to remove those barriers if elected.

He sees an urgent need to expand primary health care teams, which means attracting more family physicians and nurse practitioners to rural communities and ensuring all health care professionals are working to their full scope of practice.

No facilities will close, says Abbott, but service delivery at hospitals and other health care facilities will be reorganized to better meet needs of people.