The total incentive will be as much as $200,000 over five years, starting April 1st.
The current program is four years—but with a total incentive of $47,000. Eligibility is also being expanded beyond new graduates and will include current physicians practicing in these areas. Premier Scott Moe made the announcement at the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities annual convention in Saskatoon on Wednesday morning. He says there is not only a need for more family doctors—but for nurses, nurse practitioners and other medical specialists.
“I made a call on the floor of the SARM convention that if you know someone who wants to come back to the province, please have them get in touch with the Minister of Health’s Office and we will pass the information on to the Saskatchewan Health Authority,” Moe told reporters.
NDP leader Carla Beck said improvements to the Rural Physician Incentive Program should have been made several months ago.
“There was a call that we made last year when we saw British Columbia do something like this to stabilize and retain workers in the province,” she said. “This is a much needed investment that has to be built with those local front-line voices and those local communities.”
More information on the enhanced program, including program eligibility, can be found here.
(Photo: SARM/Twitter)
