It's a problem that has been lingering not just in Saskatchewan but across the nation, fortunately, according to the numbers though, change is in the works and the situation is turning around.
Ed Mantler, CEO of Saskdocs, a major physician recruitment and retention organization for the province, made a Yorkton stop last week and took the time to sit down with The News Review to discuss both the challenges and successes that are happening.
Saskdocs became operational in 2011 as an initiative of the provincial government.
"If you've been in Saskatchewan for any length of time you know that having the right number of doctors in rural communities has been a decades old challenge. It's not only a challenge in Saskatchewan, but across Canada and even around the world.
"So our agency was struck to work with health regions to coordinate and enhance the work of local recruiters and to create new work to attract doctors to Saskatchewan, especially in rural communities, and to retain those doctors."
Since 2011 Mantler says a number of initiatives have been undertaken and now the results are beginning to come to fruition.
While he admits there is still work to be done, he says, "we've got more doctors than ever before across the province, including in the Sunrise Health Region."
Since the organization's inception, the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan has increased in size and in the number of seats it's able to offer. This was good news for the province says Mantler. The key though, he adds, is to figure out how to keep the graduating doctors in Saskatchewan.
"About 50 per cent or so, we're leaving... we've put a number of initiatives in place to help boost that retention."
Part of that is creating an awareness and a bridge between graduates and health regions, building relationships and showing opportunities.
"The group that graduated last year (unofficially) the number show that about 65 per cent stayed in Saskatchewan and are practicing here today so that's a nice increase.
"A big part of it is to ensure that as students and as residents they have frequent and positive exposure to the benefits of rural practice..."
Programs are now in place to help this happen.
Bursaries are another important component. "It's very, very expensive to go to medical school and many students have a heavy debt load so we help them out by reducing student loan interest... we've also got an initiative for recent graduates who are staying in the province to get financial assistance at the end of each year... if they stay and practice over the course of five years, they can get $120,000..."
With that said, Mantler points out, even if the province was able to retain every single graduate, there would still be shortages, thus the need to look at broader horizons as well.
Saskatchewan is home to a unique program that accesses internationally trained physicians, some of whom already reside in Canada but haven't been able to begin practicing due to "red tape."
The SIPPA program (Saskatchewan Inter-national Physician Practice Assessment) program accesses up to 90 candidates per year, about 75 per cent of whom are successful in passing.
There are measures in place to encourage these doctors to stay in Saskatchewan as well.
"Historically we've done a poor job at keeping our doctors in rural areas... So we've put some real concerted energy into trying to understand what motivates doctors to select where they're going to practice and what motivates them to stay."
Through surveys and studies it's been determined number one on the list is work/life balance, followed by employment for the spouse or partner and then integration of the physician and family into the community.
"We've put together sort of a handbook of best practices..."
Currently, says Mantler, the Sunrise Health Region is reporting that is the best resourced it has ever been with a plan in place for more doctors to get established this spring and summer.
"The ultimate goal is appropriate, quality access to health care for the citizens of Saskatchewan..."
