Looking for a GP in NS? You may need to ‘stretch’: Health Minister – Halifax

Nova Scotia’s Minister of Health and Wellness says the province must “stretch” as the province grapples with the growing list of residents needing primary care.

According to Action for Health through Nova Scotia Health, as of June 1, there were 160,234 Nova Scotians on the Need a Family Practice Registry. More than half of those are in the central zone, which includes HRM and surrounding areas.

Answering questions from reporters in the Legislative Assembly earlier this week, Michelle Thompson said retirements and a growing population have increased the growing need for a list of primary care practices. This has grown by almost six percent compared to eleven months ago.

“One of the reasons we know the list continues to grow is because we have a population that’s moving. So about 30 percent of the people on the list say they moved here,” Thompson told reporters.

“Prime Minister (Tim) Houston will say these are the problems of growth, and we accept them.”

Nearly 800 residents joined the list after their family doctors retired in May, according to Nova Scotia Health. More than 600 people who joined the list also identified themselves as new to Nova Scotia.

Statistics Canada data shows that more than 492,000 residents live in Halifax, accounting for 58 percent of Nova Scotia’s growth. The capital saw a population growth of four percent from 2022 to 2023.

“We can’t wait for everything to be perfect,” Thompson said.

“We have to challenge ourselves and we have to work very, very hard. We want our province to grow.”

Nova Scotia’s call for more patience drew the attention of both opposition parties, who raised concerns about one of Premier Houston’s key mandates: health care.

The NDP party gave Houston a failing grade on its health care file and called on the prime minister to take more action.

““Nova Scotians are being pushed to their limits,” said Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender.

“I think Nova Scotians deserve to be connected to primary care. Nova Scotians deserve to know that if they get sick, they will be cared for by our healthcare system.”

The minister said the province should be “encouraged” by the recruitment of family physicians. According to Nova Scotia Health, the province has seen a net gain of nearly 30 per cent in family physicians and has seen continued growth since 2019.

“Last year, we booked over 900,000 appointments for care across the system, in addition to what was already happening in hospitals, primary care practices and collaborative practices. And just last month, over 70,000 Nova Scotians had an appointment and one of the virtual care options,” Katrina Philopoulos, director of physician recruitment for Nova Scotia Health, told Global News.

“We meet doctors all over the world and invite them for site visits. And you know what? We show up in a spectacular way. We bring doctors here. They fall in love with our province.”

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