Thousands of families remain without primary care, little action from Houston

SYDNEY – Each month the number of Nova Scotians who don’t have a family doctor continues to grow. In February over 133,000 people were on the Primary Care Provider waitlist, with more than 14,000 Cape Bretoners looking for care.

“Each month thousands of people are having to add their names to this list and get by without a family doctor. They don’t know where to turn when their kids, elderly parents, or they themselves need help,” said NDP Leader Claudia Chender. “The lack of primary care is the root of the health care crisis. Here in CBRM 12 percent of people are on the list and that number keeps growing. There are ways to ensure people get care when they need it and are connected to a care provider long-term -- the government needs to act.”

The waitlist for primary care has increased by 48,000 people in the last 12 months. Prince Edward Island recently announced a team-based care model to modernize how Islanders access primary health care, building patient medical homes across the Island.

“The Houston government needs to prioritize a shift to collaborative care clinics and expand on the success of Collaborative Emergency Clinics (CECs) to ensure more Nova Scotian have access to the care they need, now.”

NDP Leader Claudia Chender is in CBRM today and was in Antigonish and St. Peter’s earlier this week.

-30-