Nova Scotia Liberal Leader Zach Churchill says his party will build 20 new collaborative care centres and expand services at 20 existing health clinics if elected Nov. 26.
Churchill says collaborative clinics, which can include doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals working under one roof, are efficient ways of connecting patients to primary care.
The party estimates the total cost to build the 20 new clinics to be about $40 million.
To encourage health workers to staff the new centres, the Liberals would offer a one-time $15,000 bonus to professionals such as pharmacists and therapists, and double the existing incentive for doctors to $10,000 a year from $5,000.
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There are about 50 collaborative care locations across the province in various stages of development.
As of October, the province’s family practice registry listed 145,000 Nova Scotians without a family doctor.
Health care is shaping up to be a major election theme, with the Tories campaigning on their record since 2021 and their opponents arguing that the system is still in disarray.
Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston also made a health announcement on Wednesday, promising to open a Halifax-based medical clinic to treat symptoms of menopause. Such a clinic, he said, is needed for the 350,000 women over 40 who don’t get adequate treatment for those types of symptoms.
Meanwhile, NDP Leader Claudia Chender kicked off her day by taking part in a live hour-long radio interview in Halifax.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2024.
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