The president of Doctors Nova Scotia, the group that speaks for physicians in the province, told a legislature committee on Tuesday that virtual care is "a Band-Aid solution" to the growing number of people without regular access to a primary care team. Dr. Colin Audain said Virtual Care NS and Maple, the private company that provides basic care through a computer or mobile device, was not the answer to the problem — though he acknowledged it was better than nothing.

Hour 1: Dr. Colin Audain, president of Doctors Nova Scotia, joins Todd to discuss the MD shortage.

A Halifax-area walk-in clinic that's set to close permanently this weekend could no longer keep up with the increasing demand for health care without putting patient safety at risk, according to a physician who has a family practice on site.

Tacoma Family Medicine in Dartmouth posted a notice this week saying its walk-in clinical service will end Sunday, dealing a blow to the growing number of residents who still do not have access to a family doctor or primary care.

Patients of a health-care facility in Dartmouth, N.S., are scrambling to find other options as a family practice in the area announced it will be permanently closing the doors to its walk-in clinic. 

In a sign posted outside of the building’s entrance, Tacoma Family Medicine announced the clinic will cease operations at the top of next week.