Nova Scotia auditor general flags transparency problems in health-care reporting

Nova Scotia’s auditor general says the government must be more transparent about the performance of the health system.

Kim Adair says in a new report that taxpayers can’t properly determine whether billions of dollars in investments are paying off if they don’t have the proper data.

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The government’s 2022 health plan promised regular progress reports on topics such as access to primary and long-term care and the number of doctors and nurses in the province.

But Adair says the government isn’t releasing enough information on the number of patients who leave emergency rooms without being seen, or on emergency department wait times.

She says some hospitals rely on paper records about ER wait times, which are then transcribed electronically.

Adair says transcription may not always be completed or may be delayed, resulting in a lack of accurate data.