N.S. doctor waitlist nears 14% of province’s total population

Nova Scotia’s waitlist for a family doctor hit a record 137,587 people this month — almost 14 per cent of the province’s total population.

According to the latest report from the Need a Family Practice Registry, the figures are up by nearly 4,000 people since last month.

While 2,469 people were removed from the registry in February, they were more than offset by the 6,461 added to the list.

The number of people seeking a family doctor or nurse practitioner has grown substantially over the last year, rising by nearly 50 per cent since April 2022.

The latest figures show the need is growing fastest in the province’s central health zone, which includes the Halifax region.

The number of people there looking for a primary care provider rose by 4.7 per cent in the last month.

Last week, four doctors at a clinic in Halifax announced they will be closing their practices this summer, which will leave more than 4,000 people without a primary care provider.

Why people are joining the list

According to the report, 35.6 per cent of people who added themselves to the list in February are new to the area.

The province has had a massive population boom in the last few years, with Halifax being one of the country’s fastest-growing urban regions.

As well, more than a quarter of those who joined the list said their primary-care provider had moved or closed their practice.

A further 15.9 per cent said their provider is retiring, and 15 per cent said their provider has retired. Just over eight per cent of respondents said they have not needed a provider until now.

The report said approximately 57,620 Nova Scotians have registered for the VirtualCareNS program, and all Nova Scotians on the family-practice registry have been invited to access care through VirtualCareNS.