NS rolls out a $10,000 incentive for doctors to take on the sickest patients on the waiting list

Nova Scotia is offering doctors $10,000 to remove 50 patients from the provincial register of waiting primary care physicians.

There are about 150,000 people on the waiting list looking for a primary care provider.

Health Minister Michelle Thompson made the announcement today in Halifax, adding that the government will prioritize moving people with the most pressing needs off the list.

She says people can voluntarily add their health information to their waitlist profile to help the county identify those with the most complex needs.

Thompson says the changes turn the registry from a list into a resource, matching the sickest Nova Scotians with a doctor faster than those with less pressing medical problems.

She says doctors will receive an additional $200 for each patient after the first 50 they add to their practice, adding that the incentive program will run for four months.