Nova Scotia celebrates Doctors Day on May 1

Halifax, N.S. – May 1 is Doctors’ Day in Nova Scotia, a day to thank your doctor for the care you receive.

Every day, Nova Scotia’s doctors perform more than 28,000 services to patients. Your family doctors not only diagnose, but work with you to develop the right care plan. Your surgeons perform delicate surgeries to improve lives.  Your doctors deliver babies, save lives in the emergency department, provide care in hospital settings, and do leading-edge research that offers hope to us all.

Doctors’ Day provides an opportunity for Nova Scotians to recognize the unique role physicians play in delivering high-quality health care in the province and the innovation they bring to medicine in Nova Scotia.

“I’m thrilled to celebrate the incredible work of my colleagues on Doctors’ Day,” said Dr. Mike Fleming, president of Doctors Nova Scotia.

“I think it’s important for us to tell the story of health care in Nova Scotia, one where patients and doctors are partners in care and work together to achieve positive health outcomes.”

Over the next eight years, Nova Scotia will need to recruit 1,100 physicians to the province, primarily to fill retirements and manage the normal in and out flow of physicians in Nova Scotia. With this in mind, it’s important to showcase the physician talent that we currently have while ensuring there is a supportive environment that welcomes new physicians to our province.

Last year, Doctors Nova Scotia launched the ‘Your Doctors. Your Stories’ interactive web platform to do just that – tell the story of local doctors doing great work. The platform also collects patient stories and displays them over a map of Nova Scotia. To date, hundreds of Nova Scotians have shared inspiring stories of the positive impact Nova Scotia’s physicians have had on their lives.

Nova Scotia is home to more than 2,500 talented physicians who’ve dedicated their lives to improving the lives of their patients. Dr. Michael Dunbar, an orthopaedic surgeon in Halifax, created a mobile application to reduce wait times for hip and knee surgeries in the Maritimes.

“Nova Scotia can be leading the country because of the demand we see here in Halifax. There is a huge opportunity here to have some vision and change which, if we’re smart, should help pay for health care in this province,” said Dr. Dunbar.

Dr. John Keeler is a family doctor in Shelburne. Considered ‘the hub’ of health-care in his community, Dr. Keeler is a primary care provider who also does shifts in the emergency department, is a strong patient advocate,  and a mentor to residents and new physicians.

“Rural doctors are the true cradle-to-grave type of health practitioners. I explain this to my students. When you’ve been here for a while you see the community, and throughout your career you see people and communities grow,” said Dr. Keeler.

This year, Doctors Nova Scotia is encouraging patients across the province to celebrate Doctors’ Day by sharing positive stories about their doctors at www.YourDoctors.ca and on twitter using the hashtag #MyDocRocks.

Drs. Dunbar and Keeler are two examples of the great work Nova Scotia doctors do every day.

Ontario was the first province to declare a day for doctors when they had May 1st proclaimed as Doctors’ Day in 2012. Ontario chose May 1 to commemorate the birthday of Dr. Emily Stowe, the first female physician in Canada. Nova Scotia is only the second province in Canada to proclaim a day dedicated to celebrating doctors.

For broadcast use

May 1 marks the second annual Doctors’ Day for Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia’s doctors perform more than 28,000 services on patients every day. Doctors’ Day provides an opportunity for Nova Scotians to recognize the unique role physicians play in delivering high-quality health care in the province and the innovation they bring to medicine in Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia is home to more than 2,500 talented physicians who’ve dedicated their lives to improving the lives of their patients. Dr. Michael Dunbar, an orthopaedic surgeon in Halifax created a mobile application to reduce wait times for hip and knee surgeries in the Maritimes. Dr. John Keeler is a family doctor in Shelburne. Considered ‘the hub’ of health-care in his community, Dr. Keeler is a primary care provider who also does shifts in the emergency department, is a strong patient advocate, and a mentor to residents and new physicians.

Doctors Nova Scotia is encouraging patients across the province to celebrate Doctors’ Day by sharing positive stories about their doctors at www.YourDoctors.ca and on twitter using the hashtag #MyDocRocks.