A pain clinic in Dartmouth with hundreds of patients is closing at the end of this year due to a lack of doctors.
The clinic is at the Dartmouth General Hospital. Patients will be referred to the pain management unit at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in downtown Halifax or to family doctors.
The clinic offered a range of treatments and services to help people manage their chronic pain.
“We understand the impact the closure will have on patients from the Dartmouth area who are living with chronic pain,” the Nova Scotia Health Authority said in a statement to CTV News.
The current wait time to see a pain specialist in Nova Scotia is two years.
“We recognize there will be gaps – particularly in relation opioid treatment, and we are continuing to explore options for these patients,” the health authority’s statement reads.
The Nova Scotia Health Authority says the Nova Scotia Pain Services Network has been revived and work has begun to improve quality, standardization and access to chronic pain services across the province.
