Virtual care not a replacement for dedicated family doctor clinics

HALIFAX - The number of Nova Scotians without a primary care provider continues to climb, with 16 per cent of the population on the Need a Family Practice Registry.

Alyssa Blackburn and her family have been on the Need a Family Practice Registry for about two years. Her son has asthma and currently gets care through a patchwork of services like walk-in clinics, pharmacists, and virtual care.

“For a long time, we were having difficulty renewing my son’s prescription and his asthma was not being properly controlled. We’ve used Maple in the past but it doesn’t replace having a family doctor, ” said Blackburn. “We’re lucky that he’s doing better now, but if we had a family doctor or a primary care provider, we would have never been in a crisis.”

The Nova Scotia NDP continues to call on the Houston government to expand collaborative care, making sure patients are attached to a clinic where they can access health care from a doctor, nurse practitioner, or other primary care providers.

“Virtual care like Maple may have its place, but it’s not a replacement for a Family Doctor Clinic, a primary care team who knows the patient and their medical history,” said NSNDP leader Claudia Chender. “Tim Houston claimed he would fix health care during the last election. Almost three years later, not enough progress in the right direction has been made.”

In the last year, the Houston government has only managed to add 10 net new family doctors – the worst year yet under the current government.

“We hear constantly from Nova Scotians who are looking for a primary care provider. The Houston government needs to do more to ensure people are attached to a family doctor clinic to get the health care they need when they need it,” said NSNDP Health Spokesperson Susan Leblanc. “People need to know that there is a place they can go that knows them and is keeping track of their health when they need to refill their prescriptions, monitor their health conditions, or get a check-up.”

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