Find a Family Doctor or Nurse Practitioner

In PEI, there is a waiting list to find a new family doctor or nurse practitioner. This waiting list is called the Patient Registry. 

You should join the Patient Registry if:

You are a permanent resident of PEI with a valid PEI Health Card and you:

• do not have a family doctor or nurse practitioner and would like to  one;
• have moved within the province and are looking for a family doctor or nurse practitioner in your new area; or
• are expecting a baby and do not have a family physician or nurse practitioner

Additionally, you should contact the Patient Registry Program if you are on the Patient Registry and:

• your contact information has changed; or
• you have found your own doctor or nurse practitioner.

Number of people on the Patient Registry

How to see a doctor now

If you need emergency care, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

For non-urgent care, visit a walk-in clinic. 

If you are unsure what to do, call 811 to speak to a registered nurse for guidance.

You can also access many specialty health services without a referral in PEI, including: 
•    mental health supports, 
•    sexual health and reproductive services, 
•    screening for some cancers, 
•    some vaccinations, 
•    diabetes support, and more. 

See Find Health Care for a complete list and contact information.

Within a few weeks of registering for the Provincial Patient Registry, you may also be able to see a doctor online. For more information, visit Virtual Health Care for Islanders without a Primary Care Provider.

If you are expecting a baby

If you are expecting a baby and do not have a family physician or nurse practitioner, the Patient Registry will assign you to a family physician or nurse practitioner for your prenatal care only.

How to join the Patient Registry

Complete the Patient Registry Online Application Form, call 1-855-563-2101 (toll-free) or for in-person assistance, visit an Access PEI location. 

You will need your PEI Health Card number to register. If you are registering a household, you will need PEI Health Card numbers for all members.

It will take up to 15 minutes to complete the form, depending on how many people you are registering. 

After you complete the form

Health PEI will send you a letter or email confirming your name has been added to the registry. 

The Patient Registry will contact you when a family doctor or nurse practitioner is accepting new patients in your area.

Health PEI encourages family practices to contact the Patient Registry when they are able to accept new patients. Each family practice provider will determine how and when they accept new patients into their practice. This can be from the registry, or another method that works best for their practice (e.g. their own wait list, family members of existing patients, etc.).

Patients assigned from the patient registry are assigned in chronological order, so those on the registry the longest within their location are assigned first.

Once you have registered for the Patient Registry, you will be eligible to see a doctor online through Maple.  Within a month, you will receive a separate email from Health PEI Maple inviting you to register for Maple for Islanders with a primary care provider. After you receive this email, follow the steps on the Virtual Health Care (Maple) for Islanders without a Family Doctor web page to request to see a doctor online.

Contact the Patient Registry Program

Telephone: 1-855-563-2101 (toll-free).