Nova Scotia’s NDP wants fresh data on doctor wait-list; number hit 160,000 in June

CITYnews halifax / By The Canadian Press

HALIFAX — Nova Scotia’s New Democrats are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor.

The province’s online health data portal has not updated its records since June 1, when more than 160,000 people were on the wait-list for a primary care physician or nurse practitioner.

That number represents more than 16 per cent of the province’s population.

On Tuesday the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.

NDP Leader Claudia Chender says releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.

The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the summer 2021 election campaign and June 2024.

The Health Department did not immediately respond when asked when the updated wait-list will be available.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press