Family Doctor Waitlist - QP
CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : As of March 1st, over 156,000 Nova Scotians were on the wait-list for a family doctor. Month over month we continue to see this number grow and it is no wonder. There are 129 family doctor vacancies in the province. On top of this, nearly a quarter of family doctors are over the age of 60 and may be considering retirement in the coming year. People like Brenda MacDonald and her two sons have been on the wait-list for almost three years and don't know when they will get reliable and consistent care. How much longer will Brenda and her kids, along with hundreds of thousands of other Nova Scotians, have to wait for attachment to primary care?
THE PREMIER « » : Since 2021, since we formed government, we've hired an additional 195 family physicians, primary care providers in this province, and I would just like to remind the member and all Nova Scotians that of course we want people to have the consistent care of a family doctor or nurse practitioner, a primary care provider, but there are a number of avenues to access care that are working that are just what are needed for a number of Nova Scotians. The pharmacy clinics are an amazing thing - they're helping a lot of Nova Scotians. Virtual care is helping a lot of Nova Scotians. It's not for everything, but it is helping a lot of Nova Scotians. Mobile clinics, urgent treatment centres - there are a number of ways to access the care that is needed, and I encourage Nova Scotians to reach out and find those and use them, and even use the app too.
CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Last week the Minister of Health and Wellness said: "I think it's really important for people to understand that through the work we've done? people can expect a health home now." We agree that it is important for people to have health homes. We've been championing this kind of collaborative practice for years but it was disappointing to hear in Health Committee yesterday that there are no plans to expand the health homes this year and no timeline for increasing them. Can the Premier tell me: When will the nearly 160,000 Nova Scotians in need of attachment to primary care have attachment to primary care to a health home or to a doctor?
THE PREMIER « » : What I would say is that we now have a good understanding of that list. Of course, when we formed government, it was literally just an Excel spreadsheet with names. There are different reasons people are on the list. Some actually have a doctor, but they don't like their doctor, or they're worried the doctor might retire, but they have access to care.
THE SPEAKER « » : Order. I ask that everyone respect the person who has the floor. Right now the honourable Premier has the floor. The honourable Premier.
THE PREMIER « » : I recognize that there are people who need attachment, for sure. There are new access channels for sure. They are useful and they are helpful. I spoke to a doctor this morning who shared with me that some of their colleagues in their geographic catchment area are taking on patients. They called a number of people on the list. They were just fine. What I would say to the member is that we know there is work to be done in health care, but we also know that the list, which was initially designed for a purpose - to show if people have access to care - is probably a little bit outdated at this time, but we'll continue to work with Nova Scotians on that.
CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : We believe that all people need attachment to primary care. In 2021, when this party was elected to fix health care, they described primary care as "either having a family physician (or a primary care provider), who is able to see them
and provide timely access to the care they need," and that "telehealth or virtual care. . . is not a replacement for a primary care practitioner." More recently - in fact, just now - the Premier suggested that not everyone needs a doctor or attachment. Which is it? Is it an app-based chatbot and a patchwork of virtual care pilots or is it a health home and attachment to primary care? Can this Premier say with confidence that at some point in his mandate, 160,000 Nova Scotians who are waiting will actually be attached to primary care?
THE PREMIER « » : What I would say to the member is that what we're focused on is access to care, making sure that Nova Scotians can access the care they need when they need it and where they need it. That is the focus. For some Nova Scotians, that absolutely is - they need a family doctor or a nurse practitioner. For others, the virtual and the pharmacies are working just fine. They're telling us that. It's a little bit split on demographic, but not exclusively. Access to care is what our focus is. The improvements that have been made in the system are nationally leading. There are tons of experts who talk about Nova Scotia as the province leading the way. There is more work to be done. We will keep leading the way. We will not let the Opposition drag us backward. We're going forward.