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College News

Scope of Practice & Physician Deployment During COVID-19

Given the public health directives in response to the recent increase in COVID cases, licensed physicians may be asked by their Health Authority to contribute to the pandemic response in ways outside their normal scope of practice. The College wishes to reassure physicians its support of this measure. When deployed by a Health Authority to support the pandemic response, the College will not hold physicians to practice within a scope strictly consistent with recent training and experience.  This approach applies to Physicians privileged and working [...]

Important Changes: MAiD Standard Under Revision

Bill C-7 has been passed by the Senate and received Royal Assent. It is now in force and is the law. As such, the College is amending its Standard to reflect the important changes in Canada’s legal approach to Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). These changes include a pathway to eligibility to MAiD for patients whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable, as well as ongoing eligibility for patients who have lost capacity after having been found to be eligible  (Audrey’s Amendment).

Notice Regarding Attendance and Reporting at the Resumption of the Hearing Regarding Dr. Manivasan Moodley – April 6, 2021

The hearing respecting Dr. Moodley commenced on February 24, 2020, and continued until February 28, 2020. The hearing resumed on August 26 and 27, 2020, and was followed by written submissions from the parties. The Hearing Committee rendered its decision on the allegations against Dr. Moodley on November 23, 2020, finding that he had engaged in professional misconduct with patient A.B. and patient C.D. The decision can be found here. The Hearing Committee will meet on April 6, 2021 to hear submissions from the parties with respect to the appropriate sanction, and costs.

Information for Dr. Emmanuel Rivera’s Patients

Dr. Emmanuel Rivera is in the process of implementing changes to his practice which were mandated by the College. This is part of a rigorous process undertaken by the College to define an appropriate scope of practice for Dr. Rivera who has not yet achieved the necessary credentials for full licensure in Nova Scotia. This posting is intended to explain the College’s process. Dr. Rivera’s Licence Dr. Emmanuel Rivera presently holds a Restricted Licence – a form of long-term, renewable licensure granted to physicians who do not qualify [...]

College lifts interim suspension on Dr. David Barnett’s medical licence

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 [...]

Emergency licensure available to support COVID-19 Immunization

Retired physicians within three years of practice may be eligible for an Emergency Licence. The College is working closely with Nova Scotia Health to license those retired physicians wishing to assist in the COVID-19 immunization efforts. There is no fee for this emergency licensure. A streamlined process is in place to quickly issue such licences. Physicians who are interested in supporting immunization clinics have been asked by Nova Scotia Health to complete please complete 

Pandemic-Related Exceptions to MCCQE Part II

The College has instituted a new policy in recognition of the postponement of the Medical Council of Canada’s Qualifying Examinations Part II. As a result of this exam delay, a number of physicians are unable to meet the requirements of obtaining LMCC for Full licensure.  The College’s Pandemic-Related Exceptions to the Requirement for the MCCQE Part II Policy allows exceptions for those who were affected by the postponement of this qualifying examination. Review the new policy.

Covid-19 Measures for Physicians

This Fall in Nova Scotia we have not experienced the significant number of COVID-19 cases as elsewhere in Canada.  Physicians across the province are playing key leadership roles in safely caring for patients during the pandemic. The College expects that physicians in all practice settings adhere to the direction provided by public health regarding safety protocols and to 

COVID-19: Leaders from the Health Community Identify Lessons from the First Wave and Concerns for the Second

On October 2, 2020, Dalhousie’s Faculty of Medicine and the MacEachen Institute for Public Policy and Governance (MIPP) hosted a roundtable at which 27 people met online to discuss what went well and what lessons were identified from the health sector’s response to COVID-19. Participants included senior representatives from both the public health and healthcare systems of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, as well as academics. Most of the participants were from Nova Scotia, which was the focus of most of the discussion.  The briefing note starts by highlighting selected observations that were drawn from these discussions, and summarize the goals and methods and the discussions [...]