Nova Scotia fourth province to sign detailed health accord with Ottawa

OTTAWA -

Nova Scotia is the fourth province to sign a new health accord with the federal government, with Ottawa sending $355 million to improve access to health care.

British Columbia was the first to sign a one-on-one deal with the federal government in October, followed by Prince Edward Island and Alberta just before Christmas.

The deals are part of a new health accord Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered to premiers early last year, after provinces demanded Ottawa help address a health-care crisis including a shortage of health workers and overwhelmed hospitals.

The federal government said Nova Scotia plans to use the money to make sure 88 per cent of people in the province have access to primary care, by expanding clinic hours in rural communities and introducing mobile health services and virtual urgent care.

Another key element of the deal is to make patient records more available by creating a single provincial health-records system.

Accessible patient records are central to Ottawa's plans to improve health data collection across the country.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 10, 2024.