INVERNESS, NS – A popular lottery game with roots in Cape Breton has swapped its cash jackpots with something that’s more prized in Atlantic Canada; access to a rural family doctor.
Participants in three Chase the Ace lotteries can now purchase lottery tickets in hope of winning a scheduled appointment with a physician who will know your name, age, existing health conditions, and at least one trivial detail about your personal life.
“You know, hundreds of thousands of dollars would be nice, but it would be nicer to make an appointment for the shortness of breath I’ve been having for the past two years” said 62-year-old Bethany McFadden who has been on a wait list for two years. “I purchased 10 tickets knowing it’s going to a good cause.”
The number of appointments increases each time the Ace of Spades is not drawn. One of the jackpots currently sits at a whopping eight visits.
This year’s prizes includes appointments with Dr. Tanya Goertz, a friendly medical practitioner originally from Vancouver who will not be retiring in the next week or moving elsewhere unlike 50% of the doctors presently in Nova Scotia.
According to sources, the government of Nova Scotia has increased the number of doctors in the province by granting medical licenses to the patients on the wait list so they can diagnose and treat themselves.
