• The NDP will open a total of 45 collaborative Family Doctor Clinics across the province over the government’s four-year term. The province will deliver the infrastructure for these clinics and ensure that they are fully staffed with a diverse range of healthcare professionals to ensure that the family doctors are well supported. 
• All Nova Scotians have a right to be attached to a Family Doctor Clinic. Family Doctor Clinics will connect Nova Scotians to a family doctor faster by moving to automatic, location-based attachments. In a primary care crisis, our priority is to connect patients and doctors as quickly as possible – this universal, automatic attachment model is being seen more and more around the globe as the best way to create primary care connections and the fastest way of reducing family doctor wait times. 

Our party is fully committed to ensuring every Nova Scotian has access to a primary care practicioner, and we've made significant progress in addressing this issue. Since 2021, we've hired 256 new doctors, including 75 new family doctors. Our initiatives include a designated residency path for 10 international medical graduates, prioritizing those with ties to Nova Scotia, and establishing five new medical school seats at Cape Breton University to train rural family doctors.

Between April and August, 73 new doctors were recruited to the province. We are also opening the world’s first International Medical Assessment Clinic, which will license 45 new doctors annually, speeding up the integration of internationally trained doctors into our health system.

To support our physicians, we've invested $59 million to establish a second medical school campus at Cape Breton University in partnership with Dalhousie University. This campus, opening in 2025, will train 30 new doctors.

Additionally, we’ve opened 21 new collaborative care clinics and strengthened 53 existing clinics, helping doctors manage more patients. These efforts have already resulted in a reduction of over 32,000 Nova Scotians waiting for a family doctor. We also have 36 more clinics on the way.

A re-elected PC government will continue to build on these initiatives, ensuring every Nova Scotian has access to a family doctor and quality primary care

• A true collaborative approach to healthcare requires an easier flow of correspondence across related professions. We anticipate that the federal Bill C-72, the Connected Care For Canadians Act, will pass and create a framework for safe and secure exchange of health data. We will happily work with the federal government to implement changes in the province that allow for more connected care. 
• The NDP agrees that better coordination of information in the healthcare system is essential, especially with the increased use of AI and digitalization of patient information to enhance interoperability. 
• A NDP government to review with DNS the use of AI in healthcare such as the use of AI scribers as there are emerging and developing concerns of patient privacy, the legal responsibility of retention of patient information, and the storage and use of patient data collected by AI scribers. These questions are live and pertinent for the protection of patients and for their doctors. 

When we took office in 2021, Nova Scotia’s healthcare system was outdated. Over the past three years, we have made significant investments to modernize it for both doctors and patients. We allocated $365 million to the One Patient, One Record initiative, creating an integrated electronic health records system where doctors can access comprehensive patient information and make digital requests for specialist referrals, consultations, and tests. This project was discussed as far back as 2015 but was overlooked by the Liberals until our investment in 2023.

We also updated the Personal Health Information Act and implemented new Electronic Health Records Regulations this year to leverage real-time data for better healthcare system planning and management. Additionally, we will establish a new Health System Performance and Accountability Council to monitor the quality and performance of the health system and make evidence-based recommendations for improvements to the Minister of Health and Wellness.

A PC government will consult physicians and make the necessary investments to ensure that the flow of information in our healthcare system is seamless and used to improve outcomes.

• A NDP government will work collaboratively with doctors, and other healthcare providers to find enduring results to make the healthcare system healthy again. 
• The NDP will open a total of 45 collaborative Family Doctor Clinics across the province over the government’s four-year term. We are committed to making these clinics a place where doctors want to work in by creating healthy work-life balance and giving doctors the ability to take vacation without worrying about their patient roster. This will not be possible without close consultation with Doctors Nova Scotia. 
• We will ensure that there is two-way communication. We respect doctors and know that they understand what is happening on the ground. A NDP government will always be receptive to ideas of Doctors Nova Scotia. 

• The NDP government will value every doctor that chooses to settle in Nova Scotia and will create a welcoming inclusive and equitable environment in this province to live, work and grow a family. 
• A NDP government will work with DNS and community groups that provide services to newcomers to make sure that international medical graduates, or IMGs are settled and integrated into Nova Scotian communities and society. 
• A NDP government is open to doctors new to Nova Scotia taking on smaller rosters without major impacts to their salary for the first years they arrive in the promise that those new to the province need time outside of work to get to know their new community to feel a sense of home. 

Our government recognizes that supporting doctors and their families who are new to Nova Scotia is essential to both attracting and retaining skilled medical professionals. In 2023, we approved 763 healthcare professionals, including 38 internationally trained doctors, through provincial immigration programs—a significant 88.9% increase compared to 2022. These doctors are provided with settlement services that include language training, employment support, and community connections to help them integrate smoothly and feel at home.

To further enhance these supports, our government invested an additional $3 million in 2023 to strengthen settlement services specifically tailored to healthcare workers and their families. Our goal is to make Nova Scotia a place where doctors and their families feel welcomed, supported, and able to thrive both professionally and personally. We will continue to invest in settlement services as we look to recruit more international doctors to our province

• The NDP will open a total of 45 collaborative Family Doctor Clinics across the province over the government’s four-year term. These will ease the burden and stress off doctors in the province by ensuring that they have a dynamic team of healthcare professionals to share the burden of work with. 
• As part of a realistic and long-term health human resources strategy, a NDP government will develop and offer new recruitment, retention and training incentives for doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses and other health professionals with a practice-in-NS guarantee. 
• A NDP government will conduct a systematic review of all Government of Nova Scotia and Nova Scotia Health Authority financial support programs with the goal of improving access to existing programs and establishing new programs to support even more people. 
• A NDP government will support the better coordination of information in the healthcare system that is essential, especially with the increased use of AI and digitalization of patient information to enhance interoperability. 

To support physician wellness and prevent burnout, our government understands the critical importance of reducing administrative burdens. Over the past three years, we have made significant strides in streamlining healthcare processes, allowing healthcare professionals to focus more on patient care and less on excessive paperwork.

We continue to leverage the Office of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness, which works closely with healthcare teams to identify and eliminate unnecessary administrative barriers. This proactive approach has led to tangible improvements, including our recognition with the Golden Scissors Award from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business for our efforts in cutting red tape in healthcare.

However, we recognize that more work remains. In 2023, we set a target to reduce 400,000 hours of red tape for doctors by the end of 2024. By the end of last year, we had already saved 250,000 hours—nearly two-thirds of that goal. A re-elected PC government will continue cutting red tape and removing bureaucratic obstacles, to remove unnecessary burdens on doctors that lead to burnout .

• The wait list for people trying to get a family doctor has kept getting longer, and it does not include people without a family practice who did not register a search for a doctor. Many have been on the list for more than three years with no end in sight. Our province now has the longest wait time for medically necessary care in the country, at 56.7 weeks. We simply do not have enough doctors to keep up with demand. 
• A NDP government will: 
  • open 15 collaborative Family Doctor Clinics across the province in our first year. These clinics will connect every Nova Scotian currently on the waitlist to primary care. The plan for these clinics is based on the Medical Home model, with advice from leading family practitioners. 
  • continue to open 30 more clinics, over three years (total of 45) to ensure patients and doctors can choose where to get and receive care. 

Our government recognizes that the future of healthcare in Nova Scotia involves moving beyond the traditional model of care where patients only see physicians. We are committed to creating a comprehensive, collaborative care environment that reflects the Patient Medical Home model. This approach means that when Nova Scotians visit a primary care practice, they will have access to a range of healthcare providers, including nurse practitioners, family practice nurses, and pharmacists, among others. This team-based care model ensures that patients' diverse needs are met efficiently and effectively.

By focusing on these collaborative health homes, we reduce the strain on individual providers and create a more resilient system. Patients benefit from more comprehensive care, while the model safeguards against the impacts of losing a specific doctor or nurse practitioner. Our approach is proactive, aiming to address challenges in the healthcare system by ensuring primary care is accessible and efficient.