ABERDEEN, N.S. - The temporary closure of a walk-in clinic in Pictou County is spreading concern in the community, as for many patients it means losing their primary care provider.

The Aberdeen walk-in clinic had been open 3 evenings a week along with Saturday mornings and was handling about ten thousand patient visits as of last year.

Clinic owner Dr. Chris Elliot tells CTV News that approximately 30 per cent of the patients who visit his clinic use the walk-in as their primary source of care, with no regular family doctor.

“There’s nowhere else to go, except out the door to the ER over at the hospital and that’s worse than waiting here at this clinic,” said patient Linda Pellerine.

But despite being the primary care provider for a growing number of patients, Elliot says the clinic is not getting this recognition from the government and because of its remaining status as a walk-in, is not eligible for the enhanced fees recently announced for primary care in doctors’ offices.

The clinic faces another major unresolved issue- they will be losing another doctor next month and recruitment has been nearly impossible.

“We can’t attract somebody to work after hours, after they worked all day. To work in a walk-in clinic where they’re going to get less money than if they saw the same person in their office,” explained Elliot.

So he and his partner have decided to close the clinic for about a month beginning August 5 until September 17 while they revisit their options.

“I just think from a community standpoint, it would be a disaster,” said patient Dan MacDonald.

In a written statement, an official with the department of health and wellness says government is talking with the physician’s involved to look at possible solutions. Tracy Barron says the increases announced in March for doctors were to focus on continuous primary care and attaching patients to a particular practice.

Barron says walk-ins are more transaction in nature and patients are not attached to the clinic.

But based on his experience with his walk-in clinic, Elliot disagrees, and he says without the necessary supports in place, the clinic may stay closed.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Dan MacIntosh