The provincial health minister's musings about privatizing parts of the health-care system are getting poor reviews from the Conservative Opposition and unionized workers in New Brunswick.

Speaking at a Thursday Rotary luncheon in Fredericton, Health Minister Mike Murphy floated several ideas on how the private sector could play a greater role.

Murphy's ideas ranged from centralizing payroll and other administrative jobs among the province's eight health regions to letting private companies rent out hospital equipment and labs when they're not in use.

He even tossed out the idea of allowing people to pay for faster access to services.

Conservative Health Critic Claude Landry said Murphy's comments show he has no coherent vision for health care.

"I don't know where he wants to go," Landry said. "Right now, this minister is just throwing something on the wall and hoping it will stick on the wall. So he doesn't have any plan."

But unionized health-care workers say they know exactly where Murphy is going, and they don't like it.

Daniel Leger of the Canadian Union of Public Employees says if hospital equipment is sitting idle late at night, renting it out to the private sector is not the solution.

"We should put an extra shift on. Put an extra shift on 4 -12. Put an extra shift on the weekend. Hospital workers, health care workers are shift workers. We don't mind working a 4-12 shift," Leger said.

Murphy says he'll unveil the government's comprehensive health plan after he consults with New Brunswickers over the summer.