47 new doctors hired for Cape Breton over past year

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Over the past six months, more than 23,000 Nova Scotians have gained a family practice, according to a recent ‘Need a Family Practice’ update issued by the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

In Cape Breton, that number is down in part due to the hiring of dozens of doctors for the NSH eastern zone.

From April 2024 to February 2025, there have been 47 physicians hired for the eastern zone, which includes Antigonish and Cape Breton.

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This number was down to 95,875 on March 3, the last numbers reported by NSH (Nova Scotia Health) on its website.

Some of the people removed from the registry were found through the validation process NSH is currently doing. This is follow-up communications with health authority officials, who determine if the person on the list has found a family practice or not.

Others were able to get care from one of dozens of doctors and nurse practitioners hired to provide family medicine.

From October 2024 to November 2024, almost 13,000 people were removed from the registry (12,948).
From November 2024 to December 2024, there were 12,496 Nova Scotians removed from it.
From December 2024 to January, there were 9,214 people removed from the registry.
From January to February, there were 6,132 people removed.
From February to March, there were 8,449.

WHAT ARE THE MONTHLY NUMBERS?

The number of people on the Need a Family Practice Registry in Nova Scotia has gone down by 23,795 people.

Over the past six months, the decrease has been steady and has gone from more than 11 per cent of the population of the province to 9.1 per cent as of March 3.

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Here are the numbers from October 2024 to March 3, as found on the Nova Scotia Health website:

March 3: 95,875 Nova Scotians on the registry

This is 9.1 per cent of the population
8,449 people were added or removed

Feb. 3: 104,324 Nova Scotians on the registry

This is 9.9 per cent of the population
6,132 people were attached or removed

Jan 7, 2025: 110,456 Nova Scotians on the registry

Jan. 2, 2025: 110,456 Nova Scotians on the registry

Dec. 4, 2024: 119,670 Nova Scotians on the registry

This is 10.4 per cent of the population
9,214 people were attached or removed

November 27 -119, 670 Nova Scotians on the registry

This is 11.3 per cent of the population
10,477 people attached in November 2024
2,019 people removed in November 2024

Nov. 4, 2024 – 132,166 Nova Scotians on the registry

Oct 4, 2024 – 145,114 Nova Scotians on the registry

8,121 people were attached in October 2024
4,827 people were removed in October 2024

MORE ACCESS TO PRIMARY CARE

Dr. Maria Alexiadis, head of the Department of Family Practice in Central Zone, said Nova Scotia Health is working to continue reducing the number of people on the Need a Family Doctor Registry.

“We’re excited to see even more Nova Scotians connected to primary care. This is a positive shift that can be attributed to several factors,” said Dr. Maria Alexiadis, a senior medical director with Nova Scotia Health.

“Including ongoing validation efforts on the Need a Family Practice Registry, recruitment and retention across the province, and collaboration with providers to find ways that Nova Scotian Health can better support them and increase capacity in their clinics. We’re seeing tangible impacts from all of this work and we remain committed to building on this momentum.”

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