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Nova Scotia physician recruitment surges, with 33 American doctors joining

  • The Canadian Press

  • Canadian Press

  • June 4, 2026

A doctor wears a lab coat and stethoscope at a health clinic in Calgary, on Friday, July 14, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

HALIFAX -- Nova Scotia says it added a large number of new doctors during the last fiscal year.

The health authority says it welcomed 278 new doctors during the year that ended on March 31, 2026.

The province also lost about 79 physicians who either retired or left the province during the same period.

The physician recruitment rate is up 10 per cent compared to the year before.

Of the new physicians, 111 are family doctors and 167 are specialists.

About 40 per cent of the new doctors in Nova Scotia were internationally trained, and the health authority says recruitment from the U.S. is up significantly.

There were 33 American doctors that joined the Nova Scotia health care system in the last year, up from 12 the year before.

This report by was first published June 4, 2026.