The waitlist for a family doctor in Nova Scotia has gotten so long, the government is calling people on it to see if they’re still looking.
Nova Scotia Health will begin making phone calls over the next several weeks to the over 160,000 Nova Scotians on the waitlist for a primary care provider to confirm if they still need a provider and ensure they know where to access healthcare during their long wait on the registry.
Registrants will be called from unknown numbers or blocked caller IDs.
“Staff will not ask registrants to provide any personal information other than the last four digits of their health card and their birth date. They will then ask registrants to confirm the address, email, and phone number that are on the registrant’s profile,” reads a press release issued by Nova Scotia Health.
The Need a Family Practice Registry allows Nova Scotians looking for a primary care provider—a family doctor or a nurse practitioner—to participate voluntarily.
As of June 1, 160,234 Nova Scotians were on the Family Practice Registry, according to data from Nova Scotia Health. The number of Nova Scotians on the registry represents 16.2% of the population.
Between May 1 and Jun. 1, 2024, the registry increased by 1,859 people, with 4,917 joining and 3,058 being removed.
56,343 (35.2%) of Nova Scotians on the registry are new to the area. 16,390 (10.2%) of provincial residents joined the registry because they had not needed a provider until now.
However, even those with family doctors face unsuitable wait times.
Canadians waited longer than ever recorded to see a healthcare specialist or receive treatment in 2023. The median wait time between referral from a general practitioner and receipt of treatment was 27.7 weeks across the country. The province with the lowest wait time was Ontario, at 21.6 weeks. Nova Scotians had to wait an average of 56.7 weeks – almost triple the Ontario number.
While Ontario had the lowest wait times, previous data showed that 2.5 million Ontarians were without a family doctor.
Healthcare leaders previously warned that the capital gains tax hike would drive doctors out of Canada or into retirement. Canadians were worried that this hike would affect their access to healthcare.
One quarter, or 40,082, of Nova Scotians on the Family Practice Registry were there because their provider had moved or closed their practice. An additional 31,239 (19.5%) Nova Scotians were on the registry because their provider had retired, with 15,988 (10.0%) on the registry because their provider was retiring.
“Nova Scotia Health will also be calling people who added their name to the registry because their provider has notified them that they will be retiring. Staff will confirm if the registrant’s provider has now retired,” reads the press release.
The largest monthly change between May and Jun. 2024 was the gain seen among those joining the list because their provider was deciding to retire, rising by 801 Nova Scotians, or 5.3%.
Nova Scotia previously offered healthcare workers cash prizes for ideas on improving the system.
Nova Scotia Health updated the registry to include a health questionnaire to help the province better understand residents’ health concerns and improve services.
