Province looking to improve recruiting, retention of physicians, Sask. ministers tell doctors
CBC
The province has been dealing with a shortage of doctors and nurses. But now the Saskatchewan government says it's committing to recruiting and retaining more.
On Friday morning, a doctor at the Saskatchewan Medical Association's 2022 spring assembly told politicians that many family physicians are switching to hospital contracts.
Dr. Kirsty Sanderson of Moose Jaw wanted to know if the province has a plan to stop that from happening so frequently.
"We actually need family physicians in full service practice, seeing enough patients per day with enough patient loads," Sanderson said.
Health Minister Paul Merriman said the province is looking at how to solve the problem.
"The best person to probably work in family medicine is somebody that has a family here in Saskatchewan," he said.
"So we want to be able to make sure that we're getting those individuals through the process and then we're retaining them."
Merriman says 84 per cent of family residency graduates who trained in rural and regional sites in Saskatchewan have stayed in the province. But he admits the government needs to work to raise that number.
"If there's something that we have to look at in the future as far as incentivizing family medicine, then we can certainly have that opportunity to be able to look at that."
The Saskatchewan Party government's 2022 budget promised a new independent agency that will work to recruit and retain health care workers.
The province also said it is increasing spending by $1.5 million to bring 150 health-care workers from the Philippines to Saskatchewan, with a goal of reaching 300 by 2023-24.
It also promised $12.5 million in spending to add 11 new intensive care unit beds, with an eventual goal of adding 31 beds by 2024-25.
As well, the government says it is specifically looking to recruit and retain physicians in rural Saskatchewan, and will spend $3.5 million to do so.
Regina's Dr. Sanchit Bhasin questioned ministers at the assembly on Friday about the lack of psychiatrists in the province.
