Nova Scotia looks for more doctors, nurses willing to offer virtual health care – CBC
NDP leader worried patients who can’t get a free appointment will pay to get one
Dec 08, 2022
A growing list of patients, the ongoing pandemic and an early cold and flu season are making it hard for many Nova Scotians without a family doctor to connect to free online health care.
Nova Scotia’s Minister of Health Michelle Thompson told reporters Thursday the province is trying to expand the pool of doctors and nurse practitioners who are willing to do virtual visits.
Government-funded Virtual Care Nova Scotia is currently offering between 150 to 250 online appointments a day. Thompson said it might not be easy to find care providers with extra capacity to boost that number.
“You know we do have the same pool of providers that provide patient-facing care, in some cases, as well as virtual care,” said Thompson after meeting with her cabinet colleagues. “We don’t want to rob Peter to pay Paul.”
“So we continue to add providers. We look at folks like our retirees, as an example, who may be interested in working.”
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/virtual-care-doctors-nurse-practitioners-maple-1.6679451
