Newly-elected Doctors Nova Scotia president says primary care is her top priority

Dr. Leisha Hawker, the newly-elected president of Doctors Nova Scotia, says finding a primary-care provider for patients is top of mind in her new role.

She says more than 90,000 Nova Scotians are on the wait list for a primary health-care provider, but she figures the number of people without a doctor is likely higher.

“I think a lot of patients aren’t currently seeking a provider, or they just haven’t bothered, or don’t know how to get on the list,” she told CTV News in an interview on Tuesday. “There is good evidence that a strong primary care foundation is what’s needed for a functioning health-care system.”

Nurse practitioners are often seen as a solution to the shortage of family doctors. The North End Community Health Centre, one of the clinics where Hawker works, utilizes them and other health-care workers to help fill in the gaps.

She calls them an “awesome” addition to the team.

“We have a lot of allied health professionals and physician-extenders. I work closely with nurse practitioners, registered nurses, social workers, dietitians, mental health nurses, and that really expands the scope and my ability to see more patients because I don’t have to be the social worker, I don’t have to be the dietitian, for instance.”

But for those without access to a doctor or nurse practitioner, it can be hard to know where to turn for medical assistance.

“Every Nova Scotian deserves to have attachment to a primary-care provider because of the quarterbacks of the care,” says Hawker. “If you don’t have attachment to a family doctor, or to a nurse practitioner, you’re kind of left in the system not knowing how to navigate it.”

Adding to the stress of the health-care system is the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“The health-care system has been under considerable strain for a long time and then the pandemic just kind of added to that. So now, we’re facing huge shortages in staff and significant wait time for specialists for surgeries.”

Dr. Hawker says she is well aware of the struggles faced by her health-care colleagues. She’s spent her entire medical career -- from medical school to starting three clinics -- in the province. 

“But certainly there has been more outreach since I moved from president-elect to president from colleagues across the province.”

She says while it’s nice to see the provincial government's recent $5.7-billion health-care plan, doctors would like to see more details. 

“From what we can see, so far, is there is significant alignment around Doctors Nova Scotia’s priorities,” she says. “Our priorities are primary care and recruitment and retention.”

Hawker’s tenure as Doctors Nova Scotia president will last one year.