Saskatchewan family doctors say provincial budget short on needed reforms

Saskatchewan family doctors say the province's latest budget fails to make needed reforms that would help keep them here as some look elsewhere for work.

Saskatchewan family doctors say the province's latest budget fails to make needed reforms that would help keep them here as some look elsewhere for work.

Saskatchewan Medical Association President Dr. John Gjevre said the Saskatchewan Party government's budget doesn't do enough to transform primary care so that more people can access a family doctor.

While he welcomes new funding for health care, Gjevre said it has been frustrating to watch other provinces make program changes that doctors in Saskatchewan have long asked for.

"Our concern is that we're falling behind relative to other provinces," he said Friday. "A lot of them are retiring or moving to other provinces because of the high costs associated with running a practice."

Family doctors in Saskatchewan have been advocating for different payment models and for primary care to be delivered through a team of employees led by a physician.

The Saskatchewan budget released Wednesday did not offer those changes.

Newfoundland and Labrador is moving ahead with a voluntary model that pays doctors a set annual fee for each patient and a reduced fee-for-service each time they see that patient. British Columbia has moved to a more flexible model where doctors can be paid for their time.