A new private medical clinic, the Bluenose Health Primary Care Clinic, opened on Young Street last week.

The clinic has four exam rooms, two full-time nurse practitioners, an administrative person, and a system where patients can subscribe for monthly services for $27.50, and $9.50 for children, according to nurse practitioner Lori Anne Peckford.

"This is a private fee-for-service clinic, which makes it different from the other clinics that exist currently. There is a monthly subscription to join the clinic," said Peckford.

Being a member allows access to more timely health care rather than going to a public clinic, Peckford said.

"This clinic is important because it gives people who would like to pay for a private service, an option to do so. For me, as a nurse practitioner, it is a wonderful opportunity for nurse practitioners to have a clinic that is led and operated by nurse practitioners. That is something that is actually pretty unique in our healthcare system," said Peckford.

However, the fact that the new clinic is private health care has caused concerns, as both Doctors Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union are against privatized health care.

President of Doctors Nova Scotia Dr. Leisha Hawker said they support the public health-care system and that Nova Scotians should not have to pay for access to care.

Dr. Leisha Hawker is the president of Doctors Nova Scotia. Photo contributed.

“Although the Bluenose Health Primary Care Clinic aims to increase access to care, it doesn’t provide increased attachment to a collaborative primary care team. We are concerned that without a shared vision for primary care, services (both public and private) continue to be offered to improve care, however, the result is siloed care, which is not in the best interests of patients,” said Dr. Leisha Hawker, president of Doctors Nova Scotia in a statement to CKDU.

Janet Hazelton, president of Nova Scotia's Nurses Union, said achieving greater access to high-quality services, reducing wait times, and providing appropriate compensation for healthcare workers are all critical objectives, but the Nurses’ Union rejects the notion that further privatization is the answer.

"A two-tier health care system does little to address wait times and staffing shortages. In fact, privatization would exacerbate the staffing shortage and private clinics would pull from a finite pool of healthcare professionals," said Janet Hazelton, president of Nova Scotia's Nurses Union in a statement to CKDU.

Listen to the CKDU interview below: