Nova Scotia’s hospitals are reducing their capacity for surgeries, procedures and ambulatory care clinics due to continued pressure from COVID-19. Last week about 120 surgeries and 30 procedures were postponed, according to Nova Scotia Health, and effective today “services have been further reduced, with only urgent and emergent surgeries, including time sensitive cancer surgeries, continuing […]
Healthcare
Posted inNews + Opinion
New high for Nova Scotia’s family doctor waitlist
Nova Scotia’s ever-growing registry of residents seeking a family doctor hit 82,000 people in December, up one percent from the month before. More than eight percent of the million people living in Nova Scotia have signed up for the primary care registry in hopes of being paired with a family doctor or nurse practitioner. In […]
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Flu shots are more important than ever
This might be the most important year to get immunized against the flu, top doctor Robert Strang says. During last year’s flu season, when Nova Scotians and much of Canada were under some form of COVID-19 lockdown, there was less activity than normal for the flu virus. But with day-to-day life closer to normal this […]
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HRM woman urges NS to waive her ambulance trip fees needed to treat COVID-19
Danica Pettipas, a Cole Harbour resident who was among the Nova Scotians hospitalized with COVID-19 in the third wave, says the cost of ambulance fees from her eight-day stay in hospital with the virus has led to significant stress. Pettipas took four ambulance rides over the course of her illness, as directed by doctors at […]
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Summertime election set, history-making House Speakers, and a hammering of housing questions
Since the 55th sitting of the legislature began Tuesday, premier Tim Houston’s government has set a fixed summer election date and the premier was tested in his first question period since forming government. Houston’s vision was laid out in a throne speech that focused on health, but said little about housing. And history was made […]
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Texas anti-abortion law sparks Halifax rally for reproductive rights Saturday
Reproductive Rights March Saturday, October 2, 1pm Peace and Friendship Park, Hollis Street at South Street As of September 1, abortion after six weeks gestation is effectively banned in the state of Texas, due to the passing of Senate Bill 8. While the southern state is over 4,000 kilometres away from Nova Scotia, the decision […]
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Tim Houston promises virtual health care for all who need it by December
On the fourth and final day of premier Tim Houston’s health care tour of Nova Scotia, he announced an expansion of the province’s virtual care program, and renewed his pledge to knock off each item from the hefty Progressive Conservative health care platform promise list. “Today we’re moving forward with one of our campaign initiatives, […]
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“Unbelievable” value of physician assistants not harnessed in Nova Scotia
Peter Thibeault, who’s been a physician assistant for more than 30 years, travels for weeks at a time to provide medical care at the remote Kirkland Lake Gold Mine, south of James Bay in northern Ontario. Thibeault lives in West St. Andrew’s, just outside of Stewiacke, and he would rather be working locally to provide […]
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New ministers talk health care priorities
Premier Tim Houston and his novice cabinet met for the first time Thursday. The three ministers in charge of the newly divided health portfolios spoke about plans for race-based health data, universal mental health care, and the difficulty of trying to hire 2,000 new nurses and continuing care assistants for long-term care. Barbara Adams, minister […]
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Houston’s quick health care shake-up
On the day after his swearing in, premier Tim Houston immediately disrupted Nova Scotia’s health care system by firing the health authority CEO and getting rid of the provincial health board. “I’ve said all along that transformational change was needed to improve health care and it starts today,” Houston said in a statement Wednesday. He […]
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Nova Scotia’s new cabinet has 2 health ministers, but is missing one for mental health
Progressive Conservative premier Tim Houston was sworn in Tuesday, alongside his team of 18 cabinet ministers. The new cabinet includes seven women, new roles and Nova Scotia’s third white MLA overseeing African Nova Scotian affairs. Together the 19 politicians make up Nova Scotia’s executive council; Houston is president of the council, as well as minister […]
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What new premier Tim Houston promises to do in Nova Scotia
Houston, we have a majority. Premier Tim Houston (does that still sound weird? He’s technically premier-designate now) was elected on Tuesday evening, and by Wednesday morning his Progressive Conservative Party had a clear majority government with 31 of the 55 seats in Nova Scotia’s legislature. Houston wasted no time selecting a transition staff team to […]