Since the inception of Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment in 2011, 68 more doctors are now practicing medicine in Saskatchewan, including 13 in Prairie North Health Region - one in North Battleford, one in Maidstone, two in Turtleford, two in Meadow Lake and seven in Lloydminster.
SIPPA expanded last year to assess doctors from all countries as long as they meet the assessment criteria.
"We continue to recruit our own medical graduates from Saskatchewan's College of Medicine, but we appreciate and rely on physicians from outside our own borders," Minister Responsible for Rural and Remote Health Randy Weekes said.
"I'm very pleased these internationally trained doctors have passed their assessment and are now providing care to Saskatchewan residents, further stabilizing the physician workforce throughout the province."
In addition to the new doctors from the January SIPPA program who are now practicing medicine, the May SIPPA intake is completely full. Each intake allows 30 international medical graduates to apply to the program.
A total of 25 of these IMGs are from Canada; four from South Africa, and one from India. Many of the candidates were trained in countries like Egypt, Nigeria, the Philippines and Iran. While all of them were successful at obtaining a seat in SIPPA, they still have to successfully complete the program over the next few months. If successful they will move forward to the Clinical Field Assessment phase of the program in 10 health regions around the province.
"This is certainly encouraging. Not only is word getting out about SIPPA within Canada, it is spreading world-wide as we see more and more SIPPA candidates who were trained in a variety of countries coming to Saskatchewan in an effort to make it their home and practice medicine," said Ed Mantler, saskdocs CEO. "It is good to see that many of them come from within Canada because saskdocs has been working hard at reaching doctors within Canada to tell them about the many opportunities that await them here."
Keeping Saskatchewan medical graduates continues to be a high priority. "Even if we were 100 per cent successful at retaining every University of Saskatchewan (U of S) medical graduate, we would still have to recruit out of province, the demand is that great," said Mantler.
Pivotal to the success of the SIPPA program is the work of its administrator, Continuing Professional Learning at the U of S College of Medicine. "SIPPA is a made-in-Saskatchewan solution, and it is working. We are delighted by the success of our candidates in their clinical field assessments. We will continue to work in partnership with saskdocs and our provincial government to ensure continued success for SIPPA and the IMGs who now have the opportunity to live and work in Saskatchewan" said Dr. Penny Davis, Medical Director of SIPPA for the College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan.
Saskdocs continues to recruit physicians to the province in collaboration with the health regions through: direct recruitment initiatives; establishing relationships with medical students and residents; advertising locally, nationally and internationally; and, attending career fairs at home and out of province, according to a press release.
