Major Health Issues in Nova Scotia: An Environmental Scan
Major Health Issues in Nova Scotia: An Environmental Scan
Major Health Issues in Nova Scotia: An Environmental Scan
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Current <strong>Major</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Issues</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Nova</strong> <strong>Scotia</strong><br />
The mandate of the NSHRF <strong>in</strong>cludes support<strong>in</strong>g research that is consistent with<br />
priorities of <strong>Nova</strong> <strong>Scotia</strong>’s health system. Therefore, a logical place to start <strong>in</strong><br />
identify<strong>in</strong>g major health issues fac<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Nova</strong> <strong>Scotia</strong> is the 2008 report of the<br />
Prov<strong>in</strong>cial <strong>Health</strong> Services Operational Review, which provides the result of a<br />
comprehensive analysis of <strong>Nova</strong> <strong>Scotia</strong>’s <strong>Health</strong> system and suggested priorities<br />
for action. The report identified several pressures on the health system <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g<br />
the ag<strong>in</strong>g population and associated <strong>in</strong>creases <strong>in</strong> demand on the acute care system<br />
and need for management of chronic diseases. The health status of <strong>Nova</strong> <strong>Scotia</strong>ns<br />
relative to the rest of Canada was also noted as a challenge to the health system,<br />
with <strong>Nova</strong> <strong>Scotia</strong> hav<strong>in</strong>g some of the highest disease burdens across the country.<br />
The ris<strong>in</strong>g costs of prescription medications and <strong>in</strong>frastructure replacement as well<br />
as the recruitment, retention and retirements of health human resources were also<br />
cited as significant challenges to the system. 1<br />
Demographics<br />
In <strong>Nova</strong> <strong>Scotia</strong>, both the number of people 65 years of age and older, and the<br />
proportion of the population <strong>in</strong> this age group are <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g. As shown <strong>in</strong> the<br />
Population Projections Table, <strong>in</strong> 2007, 14.8% of the population was aged 65 years<br />
or older. By 2031, the 65+ age group will represent 28% of the total prov<strong>in</strong>cial<br />
population. 2 Almost 50% of current hospital-based care is provided to people<br />
aged 65 and over. Therefore as the proportion of the population <strong>in</strong> this age group<br />
<strong>in</strong>creases, it is reasonable to expect that hospital expenditures will <strong>in</strong>crease unless<br />
there are dramatic changes <strong>in</strong> how and where care is provided. 1<br />
Table 1: Population Projections<br />
2007 2011 2016 2021 2026 2031<br />
Total Report<strong>in</strong>g 934,147 932,542 931,205 928,402 919,033 900,441<br />
By 5-year Age Groups<br />
65-69 40,749 47,900 60,879 64,297 70,231 70,523<br />
70-74 32,791 35,511 43,507 55,668 59,110 64,611<br />
75-79 26,450 27,411 30,083 37,093 47,775 50,940<br />
80-84 19,243 19,834 20,883 23,042 28,802 37,245<br />
85+ years 19,135 20,913 22,505 24,221 26,834 32,178<br />
Total Population 138,368 151,569 177,857 204,321 232,752 255,497<br />
65+ yrs<br />
Percentage of NS<br />
Population Aged 65+<br />
14.8% 16.3% 19.1% 22% 25.3% 28.4%
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