In addition to being the mayor of Amherst, David Kogon also happens to be a retired physician who continues to practice and do surgeries across the border in New Brunswick. Kogon says with private health-care clinics already making their way into Nova Scotia and other provinces like Quebec, a two-tiered system is likely the solution to the current health-care crisis.
Dr. Leisha Hawker, President of Doctors Nova Scotia, joins Todd to talk about how Covid-19 cases increasing is adding stress to Maritime hospitals. (scroll to hour 3)
One week after the public learned Dr. Kevin Orrell has left his job as CEO of the Office of Professional Healthcare Recruitment, the doctor and the Houston government are both refusing to say anything at all about the circumstances around his departure. “There are no updates to provide at this time,” said Khalehla Perreault, senior communications advisor for the Department of Health and Wellness.
The number of people with COVID-19 in Maritime hospitals this summer continues to climb, with more week-to-week increases in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The extra care required for hospital patients infected with COVID-19 has been adding weight to an already stressed health-care system.
There are plenty of walk-in clinics in the Halifax area, but finding one that isn't already filled up is becoming more of a problem. “I've even experienced it myself over the Canada Day weekend,” said Leisha Hawker, president of Doctors Nova Scotia. She says walk-in clinics, on average, are turning away more people than they're able to book appointments for.
To fix the family doctor shortage in Nova Scotia, it’s often suggested, maybe Dalhousie Medical School should just train more family physicians. If only it were that simple. The gap is too wide. Training takes resources — including current family doctors willing and able to teach — that are already in short supply, as well as time.
The Nova Scotia government has launched a new website that allows people to track the province’s health-care data. The province says the Action for Health website is the first if its kind in Canada. “We don't believe there's any other jurisdiction in the country that's sharing this level of data,” said Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson.
Nova Scotians are feeling a mix of relief and trepidation now that all remaining mandatory COVID-19 restrictions end on Wednesday.
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