Nova Scotia Health Officials Tout Record Physician Recruitment as Opposition MLAs Press on Gynecology Wait Times
Nova Scotia Health officials told a legislative committee that 2025-26 was the province's most successful physician recruitment year, but opposition MLAs criticized persistent multi-year wait times for gynecology services. Only two obstetrics-gynecology positions are currently open in the province.
Nova Scotia Health officials testified before a legislative committee about physician recruitment efforts, highlighting record hiring numbers while facing criticism from opposition MLAs over long wait times for gynecology services.
The 2025-26 fiscal year was Nova Scotia’s most successful recruiting year, with 111 family physicians and 167 specialists recruited, resulting in a net gain of 199 doctors. In the first five months of the 2026-27 fiscal year, 126 physicians were recruited, yielding a net gain of 78 doctors.
Despite these overall gains, there are currently just two openings for obstetrics-gynecology in the province. Katrina Philopoulos, Nova Scotia Health’s director of physician recruitment, identified Dalhousie University graduates, former residents, and international jurisdictions with licensing pathways as potential targets for recruiting more gynecologists. Officials have not confirmed whether they recommended increasing the number of gynecologists.
Kathleen DeCoste, senior executive director of the Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment, stated her team has been monitoring gynecology trends for about two-and-a-half years.
NDP MLA Susan Leblanc criticized the government’s response, noting that people are waiting four to five years for care despite officials having studied the trends for two-and-a-half years. Liberal MLA Becky Druhan expressed concern that constituent reports indicate no improvement in wait times for mammograms and endometriosis care, despite significant government spending on health care. Opposition MLAs are demanding greater transparency regarding the province’s human resource plan for health.
Dr. Gus Grant, registrar of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia, suggested that some doctors narrowing their focus of practice contributes to the challenge. Patients report years-long waits for gynecology care, including mammograms and endometriosis treatment, and filling long-standing vacancies may take time to catch up with demand.
Health Minister Michelle Thompson announced plans in May to create a women’s health clinical collaborative to assess needs and improve system coordination.