N.S. bill aims to make it easier for Canadian health-care professionals to work in province
Nova Scotia is cutting red tape and some administrative burdens within the health-care industry to allow health-care providers more time to see patients.
Health Minister Michelle Thompson introduced The Patient Access to Care Act in the legislature Tuesday, which is designed to make it easier for health-care professionals from other parts of Canada to work in Nova Scotia.
The province says highlights of the act include:
- licensing or registration criteria will be waived for health-care providers coming from other parts of Canada, as needed and in accordance with Canadian free trade obligations
- regulators cannot charge health-care professionals licensed in other parts of Canada an application fee
- applications must be processed within five business days
- supports the creation of regulations that will apply the above provisions to non-Canadian jurisdictions
- allows all regulators to recognize the credentials and licences of health-care professionals trained outside Canada
- ensures regulated health-care professionals can work to their full training and allows expanded scope of practice through regulations rather than legislation
- employers will only be able to request a sick note if an employee is absent for more than five days or has already had two absences of five days or less in the previous 12-month period
- allows the government to prescribe Workers Compensation Board forms and documents to improve the process for Nova Scotians and doctors
"If we continue to do things the same way, we are going to keep getting the same results," said Premier Tim Houston in a news release Tuesday.
"That is unacceptable for Nova Scotia, and that is unacceptable to me. The legislation introduced today includes things that should have been done a long time ago that will help Nova Scotians get the care they need faster."
Thompson says the province will cover the initial licensing fees for health-care workers who hold a licence in other parts of Canada.
Those fees range from $1,000 to $2,000 a year. Application fees can be up to $200 annually.
According to Thompson, 50,000 hours a year per doctor are dedicated to providing sick notes for patients.
"Paperwork shouldn't stand in the way of helping Nova Scotians get the care they need. When someone is sick, the last thing they should be thinking about is that they need to get a doctor's note. It's also the last thing a doctor needs to write, when they could be seeing a patient with more urgent care needs," said Thompson.
Doctors also completed more than 26,000 report forms for worker's compensation last year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Calgary police shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers dealt with a distraught individual. The incident lasted almost 20 hours.