Nova Scotia has struggled to recruit new doctors, but a deal between the government and the ones already working in the province may help change that.
Doctors Nova Scotia has reached an agreement on a new four-year contract with the provincial government. It will give all doctors throughout Nova Scotia a 10 percent salary increase over the course of the contract (3% in years 1 and 2, 2% in years 3 and 4). The contract is retroactive to April 1, 2023, since the doctors previous deal expired on March 31, 2023.
“The agreements offer meaningful improvements that will lead to better access to primary and specialty care for Nova Scotians,” said Dr. Colin Audain, President of Doctors Nova Scotia in a press release. “This is essential to our ability to recruit and retain much-needed physicians in Nova Scotia.”
The contract includes new supports for the province’s family doctors, who have been under a lot of strain. It includes a new payment model for them, and a new measure to recognize and compensate them for some of the unpaid work they’ve been taking on.
The new agreement affects over 3,000 doctors across the province and will be in place until March 31, 2027.
