Nova Scotia’s primary care waitlist drops once again
The Need a Family Practice Registry in Nova Scotia saw a significant decrease last month, with Nova Scotia Health removing 2,193 people from the list. This brings the total number of individuals looking for a primary care provider down to 93,682, which is approximately nine percent of the population. The provincial government has set a goal to further reduce this number to five percent, or around 50,000 people.
The latest figures were released in a news update from the health authority, although they did not provide specific details on how many individuals were successfully attached to primary care providers during the month or how many were removed through the validation process currently underway.
Since last summer, Nova Scotia Health has been actively contacting individuals on the registry to determine if they still require a primary care provider. The initiative has been successful in decreasing the list size, which is now at its lowest point since 2022. It had peaked at approximately 160,000 individuals last June before updates were temporarily halted by the health authority.
Although public updates have since resumed, they no longer contain the level of detail they previously did, such as specific community breakdowns of individuals in need of a family physician. This change has been met with criticism from the opposition, who argue that the lack of transparency makes it challenging to assess the progress being made.
Earlier this year, Nova Scotia Health removed all registry information from its data reporting website, a decision supported by Health Minister Michelle Thompson. She stated that this information will not be restored until the authority’s validation process is complete, with no specific timeline provided for this work.
As the province continues to work towards reducing the number of individuals in need of a primary care provider, the process remains ongoing with a focus on improving access to essential healthcare services for all residents of Nova Scotia.
