It may be Nova Scotia's single biggest department and expense but the McNeil government finds itself under increasing pressure to do more to improve healthcare in the province.

The premier stirred up a hornet's nest recently by suggesting there is no crisis in healthcare, but more and more, there seems to be a grassroots movement to fix the problems, or at least force the government's hand, and some of players involved might surprise you.

Three doctors from the Annapolis Valley lead the ER teams at the Valley Regional hospital. Lately, they’ve become unlikely activists in an unfamiliar arena: the world of politics.

“You know, our back was up against the wall, and we weren't getting any action from discussion with administrators including the NSHA,” said Dr. Rob Miller.

His colleagues in the ER and the lobbying effort are Dr. Keith MacCormick and Dr. Rebecca Brewer.

“We wanna get the message out there that physicians are deeply troubled by this, and we deeply wish we could bring our voices back to the table,” said McCormick.

One day in the last year, they dealt with 24 admitted patients in a 20-bed unit – and had more ambulances rolling in.

Overcrowding, they say, is no longer bearable at the hospital, so, they took the unusual step of launching a GoFundMe page to help the province purchase more nursing home beds.

The campaign is tongue-in-cheek, but the message is deadly-serious.

“The iceberg is approaching, and it's time to do something,” said Miller.

The government disputes the need for more nursing home beds, saying Nova Scotians prefer to stay at home.

In a statement to CTV News, the province says it's increased home-care funding by $40 million, and "the overall waitlist for long-term care placement has been reduced by 51 per cent since April 2013, while the number of people waiting in hospital for placement in long-term-care has been reduced by 28 per cent over the same period.”

Pressure on the McNeil government is ramping up on all sides.

Dozens of protesters took to the streets outside the health minister's office on Friday, demanding his resignation -- or a full-fledged state of emergency.

“The ERs are backed up, the front lines are completely burnt out,” said protest organizer Leslie Tilley. “What happens if they do burn out? We have no health care here. We have a state of emergency as far as I'm concerned.”

The government employee's union has taken to the airwaves, highlighting staff-shortages, and inviting Nova Scotians to share health-care horror stories.

Online, about 16,000 people have signed a petition urging the province to cancel a new art gallery for the Halifax waterfront and put the money into health care instead.

None of it surprising to the ER doctors in the Valley, who say they've pretty much reached the breaking-point.

“The word desperate has been used several times, and, at this point, if I can't make the situation better for my patients and my colleagues, then I'm going to burn myself out trying,” Brewer said. “And this is my last sort of kick at the can to try to help things.”

So much so, she's weighing her options, and hasn't ruled out moving away if the situation doesn't improve.

The very idea is unthinkable to her colleagues.

“These are physicians that the province should not allow to get away because of poor management,” said McCormick.

So, the unlikely activists continue their campaign, although they'd much rather be doctoring.

The doctors admit their $100,000 goal on their GoFundMe page wouldn't actually do much to buy nursing home beds, and they're nowhere near that anyway.

It is more about raising awareness about problems in the health care system - something more and more Nova Scotians seem to be doing these days.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Bruce Frisko.