Since the list became public in 2018, over 50,000 people have added their names to it. A news release from the NDP caucus says it’s a grim milestone as tens of thousands of families in Nova Scotia are left struggling to access health care. “Not even the Houston Conservatives or the Liberals before them have been able to take a step toward making sure people have a primary care provider,” NDP Health and Wellness spokeswoman Susan Leblanc said in a press release. “While there have been some gains in recruitment, that can only do so much when we’re seeing dozens of doctors retire or leave the province each year. There also needs to be a retention plan.” According to an NDP release, the majority of people who added their names to the waiting list last month did so because their doctor retired, moved or closed their practice. As of July 1, a total of 100,592 Nova Scotians were on the Family Medicine Registry. Nova Scotia Health Minister Michelle Thompson says her Progressive Conservative Government is not surprised by the increase. “We’ve seen that there are a number of physicians, for example, who are preparing for retirement, and we know that people have gotten on the list as a result of retirement because they’re anticipating retirement,” Thompson said. “I take very seriously the concerns people have about access to health care. While there is no overnight solution to addressing the Need a Family Practice registry, I want to assure all Nova Scotians that we are working hard to recruit health professionals and improve access to primary care.” According to data released by the province, an average of 2,700 people found a doctor or nurse each month last year, but more than 7,200 added their names to the waiting list last month alone. “It’s a problem that’s been a long time coming. It’s a big iceberg, basically,” said Dr. Leisha Hawker, the newly installed president of Doctors Nova Scotia. While she’s also concerned, Hawker notes that Doctors Nova Scotia is working closely with the government to recruit and retain more doctors, many of whom Hawker says simply don’t want the staggering workloads brought by their predecessors. But he says there’s another factor at play. “We also have a lot of new Nova Scotians — a lot of people are migrating to our wonderful province, so more and more people are being added to the list,” Hawker said. Nova Scotia NDP caucus leader Claudia Chender says she’s hearing from people who are just trying to refill regular prescriptions and can’t. “We know efforts are being made, but we don’t have a health authority, we don’t have a lot of transparency about what’s going on,” Cheddar said. “Well, what we do know is that we need a plan for primary care. How are you going to get all these people hooked? The prime minister calling doctors on the phone all over the world isn’t going to fix it.” Despite the growing waiting list, Thompson says the province had a record year of hiring doctors between April 2021 and March of this year. There were 163 physician hires and 68 departures within that time frame, resulting in a net gain of 95 physicians. Of those recruited, 75 were family physicians and 88 were specialists. “So it’s not that the steps we’re taking haven’t been effective. If those things weren’t in place, we’d be in a different position than we are now,” he said. Evelyn Hornbeck is one of thousands waiting for a family doctor. She says she was forced to add her name to the waiting list in October when her doctor abruptly backed out. “It was very stressful to have to go without a family doctor. I take prescription drugs that I can’t get in a clinic, and it feels like a ticking time bomb is coming to the prescription that I’ve run out of,” Hornbeck said. “I put myself on the list, but there’s no guarantee and it doesn’t look like Houston government is doing anything to improve the situation anytime soon.” In June, the NDP says more than 7,000 people added their names to the list. The Liberals came to power in 2013 after promising a doctor for every Nova Scotian, while the Houston government promised to fix the province’s health care just last year. “What this list represents are tens of thousands of families struggling to make sure they get the primary care they need: young parents with children who can’t get their vaccines on time, seniors struggling to keep their prescriptions, and everyone in between.” said NDP leader Claudia Chender. “We hear it time and time again, big promises about health care when the Liberals or Conservatives try to win power, but little to no action that actually makes a difference for the people of Nova Scotia.” The NDP says innovative and practical solutions are needed, including collaborative emergency centers and collaborative health teams across the province to ensure everyone can get the care they need, when and where they need it. A news release from the Nova Scotia Liberal party says one in 10 Nova Scotians do not have access to a primary care provider – a number that has increased by about 40 per cent under the current government. “No matter how you slice it, health care has gotten worse by every metric under Premier Houston,” Liberal Leader Zach Churchill said in a press release. “Hospitals are stretched thin, doctor waiting lists are higher than ever and people are going without life-saving surgeries. It’s not enough to just acknowledge the problem; Nova Scotians deserve the solutions they were promised.” Churchill says Nova Scotia Health committed to providing access to virtual care for everyone on the registry by the end of June during an April 20 public accounts committee meeting. However, to date, only a fraction has been invited to take advantage of the service, according to the party. “The Houston government has consistently broken the critical campaign promises that Nova Scotians elected them to,” says Churchill. “More people than ever are on their own when it comes to accessing health care because of this government’s mismanagement of the file.” In May, Nova Scotia’s doctor’s waiting list had about 92,000 people — a record at the time.
