Families deserve health care they can count on, collaborative care needed

HALIFAX – With over 137,000 Nova Scotians on the primary care wait list, long waits to see your primary care provider, and family practice clinics closing province-wide, the Houston government must move quickly to create family health teams across the province.

“Nova Scotians deserve health care they can count on,” said NDP Leader Claudia Chender. “In the two years that Tim Houston has been in charge, things have gotten a lot worse for a lot of people. And, Tim Houston’s temporary fixes aren’t working. We need a new model that connects more patients sooner with a clinic where they get the care they need, when they need it, over the long-term.”

The NSNDP is calling on the government to develop Family Health Teams; collaborative care clinics that would be staffed by a team of health practitioners. Patients would receive care from the health professional most suited to their needs. This could include nurse practitioners, pharmacists, physiotherapists, and many others and would free up physician time for serious or complex cases. Similar models are being expanded in PEI, and British Columbia, and are a key part of the Alberta NDP’s election platform.

While family clinics have been closing across the province and the primary care waitlist has ballooned since Houston took power, there’s not enough investment in primary care in the Conservatives’ recent budget.

In addition to the South End and Spryfield clinics that are closing, last week Halifax Chebucto resident Jason Haslam heard from his doctor that their Halifax clinic is also closing later this spring.

“Our current doctor is closing their practice effective May 31, and has told us to call 811 to register, again, on the ever-growing waitlist for family doctors,” said Haslam. “Again, because this is our second time in five years on what we now just call ‘The List.’ Don’t get me wrong: we’re relatively lucky since we’re currently healthy. My real concern is for my fellow patients. There could be patients recently diagnosed with cancer, who may also be waiting on another long list for specialist treatment, or elderly patients, like my own mother, who not only need regular checkups but also someone to advocate for them with specialists, insurance, and so on.”

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