N.S. doctor waitlist sheds 9,214 more names, but health authority keeps details sparse

The registry for people in Nova Scotia looking for a family doctor continues to shrink, although the health authority is limiting the amount of information provided about the waitlist.

New data released Tuesday by Nova Scotia Health shows 110,456 people were on the need-a-family-practice registry as of Jan. 2. 

That's down from 119,670 in December and represents the fourth month in a row the count has decreased. Updates of the list were suspended last summer so health authority officials could validate its accuracy.

Unlike the December update, however, Nova Scotia Health refused to say Tuesday how many of those 9,214 people were matched with a doctor, compared to those who were removed from the list because they already had a provider, left the province or died.

The current number represents 10.4 per cent of Nova Scotia's population.

Action for Health dashboard still outdated

The health authority has not updated the registry section of its Action for Health public reporting website, which provides a more detailed account of what's happening with the list, since June.

Premier Tim Houston and Health Minister Michelle Thompson have previously mused the registry may no longer be as useful a tool as it once was.

But in an interview late last month, a vice-president for the health authority said the intention is to resume updating the dashboard once the review work for the registry is complete. There is not a timeline for how long that will take, said Bethany McCormick.

She said staff continue to work through the list with the intention of contacting every person to ensure they still need a doctor and want to be on the registry. McCormick said people or their family members can also update their own information with the registry online or by calling 811.