60K people still on Nova Scotia’s Need a Family Practice Registry

Roughly 60,000 people are still waiting for a doctor on Nova Scotia’s Need a Family Practice Registry, which, according to the provincial government, is down by more than 1,000 compared to last month.

The province says there are 60,193 Nova Scotians on the registry. There were 61,947 people on the registry on April 1.

“This number reflects the cumulative result of activity on the registry since its creation, including registrations, attachments to family doctors or nurse practitioners, and other updates to registration status over time,” a news release from the province reads.

The Western Zone (which covers the Annapolis, Kings, Queens, Lunenburg and Yarmouth areas) has the largest single amount of people on the waitlist with 17,615.

The province says the total waitlist represents 5.5 per cent of Nova Scotia’s population.

Last month, the NDP and Liberal opposition parties argued the definition of “attached” for the registry had changed. Patients who were considered pending are now noted as attached, even if they do not have an appointment with a doctor or health-care team.

With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Jesse Thomas

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