With the passing of the Financial Measures Act, the government now has authority to make regulations requiring physicians to disclose all health records to the Minister.
The Minister has authority to access this personal health information for system planning and improvement. The government sees this authority as needed to empower patients and to inform the management of the healthcare system with data. The College supports the importance of these goals.
When I appeared before the Law Amendments Committee, I advanced the position that the Minister’s access to personal health information should be restricted to only aggregate, de-identified data.[...]
The government is moving forward with changes to the Personal Health Information Act (PHIA). Once enacted, physicians (and all other health professionals) will be required to disclose their patient medical records to the Minister of Health. The parameters of the Minister’s access to patient records and the specifics of the data governance have not yet been defined.
In the view of the College, this new legislation will have a profound effect on medical practice and on the nature of the patient-doctor relationship which is based on trust and confidentiality.[...]
The provincial government has amended the regulations to the Medical Act, conferring upon the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia the responsibility and authority to regulate podiatry within the province, effective April 1, 2024.
The College applauds the advocacy and administrative work done by the Nova Scotia Podiatry Association (NSPA) to bring the profession into regulation. The College is grateful to members of the Division of Orthopedic Surgery for their collaboration in this work...[...]
The provincial government has amended the Medical Act Regulations conferring upon the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia the responsibility and authority to regulate physician assistants within the province, effective April 1, 2024.
The College recognizes the valuable contribution physician assistants can and are making to healthcare in Nova Scotia and welcomes them as registrants...[...]
PRESS RELEASE The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia has approved a policy allowing physicians licensed in the UK, Australia or New Zealand to become directly licensed in Nova Scotia. It is the first College in Canada to do so. Under this policy, physicians with an equivalent to a Full licence in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia will be licensed in Canada without need for Royal College review, a Practice Ready Assessment or certification here. “The [...]
American Board-certified physicians are now eligible for Full Licensure in Nova Scotia, without the requirement for Royal College certification. Nova Scotia is the first province to do so.
The College will also accept enrolment in the relevant continuing professional development (CPD) program in the United States in lieu of the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program with the Royal College or the Mainpro+ program with the College of Family Physicians of Canada...[...]
The College recognizes that racism and discrimination exist in medicine and organizations associated with medicine. Early in 2021, the College engaged an independent, external task force led by Mr. Doug Ruck Q.C. to review the College’s operations through the lens of anti-Black racism. The task force was composed of African Nova Scotians selected by Mr. Ruck. The task force has now completed its review and issued its report: From the Inside: An External Review into Systemic Anti-Black Racism Within the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia.
This afternoon the Halifax Provincial Court vacated Dr. David Barnett's undertaking and attached conditions. The information that gave rise to the consideration of criminal charges and the conditions upon Dr. Barnett’s release have all been dismissed. “The Crown has notified the College that law enforcement wrongly identified Dr. Barnett as a person possessing for the purposes of distributing child pornography”, said Dr. Gus Grant, Registrar & CEO of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia. “An individual of similar name, with a similar email address, has been arrested in relation to these facts in the state of Ohio. This is a case [...]
PRESS RELEASE The first cohort of internationally trained medical graduates have successfully completed the Nova Scotia Practice Ready Assessment Program (NSPRAP). Four family medicine specialists have received their medical licences and will begin practising soon in Glace Bay, New Glasgow, Hubbards, and Truro. “The Program has successfully undertaken the assessment of these four family doctors and wishes them well as they begin to practice in rural communities in our province,” said Dr. Fiona Bergin, the Program’s Clinical Director. “These [...]
The Canadian Centre for Legal Innovation in Sexual Assault Response (CCLISAR) has completed its independent review of the College’s processes regarding the investigation of sexual misconduct complaints against physicians. “The College opened up its process to external experts for review. Our goal is to remove any barriers to reporting sexual misconduct and to reduce the unintended harms that can occur when investigating such allegations,” said Dr. Gus Grant, Registrar & CEO of the College. In addition to reviewing the written decisions of the College, CCLISAR, together with a panel of experts it convened, consulted with College staff, [...]
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