‘Patients like this end up being orphaned’

Kevin Chapman, director of partnerships and finance with Doctors Nova Scotia, acknowledges people like Carma are not receiving the care they need, due to gaps in the system.

“It’s a sad occurrence,” he said. “We don’t have enough primary care providers, and patients like this end up being orphaned.”

He said it’s difficult for a physician to treat someone who is on opioids if they don’t know them well, but some will write prescriptions for short periods of time. There are concerns, when the doctor doesn’t know the patient, about whether medication is being used properly.

“Walk-in clinics are for episodic care and this is for continuity of care. Unfortunately, with the paucity of primary care providers now, there aren’t a lot of options other than emergency. I wish I had more helpful advice.

“This speaks to why we need primary care stability in Nova Scotia. Physician recruitment has to be a priority.”

Asked about patients facing dilemmas similar to Carma’s, the primary health team of the Nova Scotia Health Authority chose to respond by email, essentially reiterating their policy for acquiring a family doctor, and acknowledging this “can sometimes be a challenge.”

However, they also indicated, “The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia has professional standards for family doctors who are closing their practice, which indicates that a physician should make reasonable efforts to provide assistance for patients with complex care needs, including transfer and follow-up care.”

They also assured their commitment to “recruiting every day for health care professionals...”