Our PC Government continues to make progress connecting Nova Scotians with primary care.
As of March 1, 2026, there are 63,221 Nova Scotians on the Need a Family Practice Registry, down from 65,790 on Feb. 1 — a drop of 2,569 people in just one month. This means 94 per cent of Nova Scotians are now attached to a primary care provider, such as a family doctor or nurse practitioner.
This change reflects Nova Scotians who were newly added to the registry and those who were successfully connected with a family doctor or nurse practitioner.
Enhanced public reporting on the registry will begin in April, using data from January 2026 onward, while basic monthly updates will continue in the meantime.
Need a Family Practice Registry as of March 2026
Behind these numbers is real action for recruitment:
- Training more doctors through the new Cape Breton University medical school, which will welcome 30 students each year
- Supporting internationally trained physicians through PACE (Physician Assessment Centre of Excellence): helping qualified doctors earn licensure more quickly while meeting Nova Scotia’s high standards for safe, ethical practice.
- Opening more Dalhousie medical seats for Nova Scotians: five new first-year seats this fall, and five more in 2026-27—growing our homegrown talent pipeline.
Our PC government has also taken significant action for healthcare retention:
- Introducing a new Physician Retirement Fund: helping retain more doctors by supporting long-term financial security. The program provides annual provincial contributions toward physicians’ retirement savings, based on their years of service, employment status, and personal contributions.
- Investing in Health Homes: a team-based approach where family doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, social workers, and family practice nurses work together to deliver coordinated, patient-focused care. There are now over 119 Health Homes across Nova Scotia, and we continue to invest in expanding and strengthening them.
- Introducing a new fee-for-service model: giving family physicians a new payment option that rewards time, effort, and patient care. Doctors will now have compensation that reflects their hours worked, services provided, and the number of patients they serve, along with new grants and annual payments tied to patient volume.
There’s so much more to come this year and the direction is clear: More Care, Faster.