Health care continues to be a topic of discussion this election season, and the Saskatchewan NDP are reiterating plans to hire more health care staff and help families find family doctors.
The announcement comes as many in the province are without a family doctor.
The Saskatchewan NDP said if elected, they will launch an online portal that shows all family doctors and nurse practitioners accepting patients. It will also invest $1.1 billion into recruiting primary care physicians and nurse practitioners.
The NDP said for this to be successful they need to reset the relationship with health care professionals.
“If we can reset that relationship, which I know a Saskatchewan NDP government under Carla Beck would be able to do, we’ll be able to ensure that there are family doctors and nurse practitioners taking patients right here in Saskatchewan,” Nathaniel Teed, the NDP Saskatoon Meewasin Candidate said.
Tracy Thoen has been on the hunt for a new doctor for a few years after her doctor announced he will be retiring soon.
“It’s been impossible,” Thoen said.
However, recently she was able to find one doctor accepting clients.
“I made the appointment for the meet and greet and sat there for a few hours,” Thoen said. “And I didn’t even get to see the doctor because they alternate between walk in appointments and booked appointments.”
Thoen is one of many in the province searching for a family doctor. Chelisa Paddy is another facing similar issues.
“I usually go to the emergency room,” Paddy said.
And while others have a doctor, they worry what happens if they lose them.
“My doctor retired,” resident James Beherns said. “And then it took a while (to find another).”
“I hear about more people losing their family doctors and that concerns me a lot,” Jocelyne Poirier said. “What is in the plan with our government? What is in the plan with the systems?”
The Saskatchewan Party in a statement said, “we value feedback from front-line workers, that’s why we have offered participation in our patient-focused roundtables to healthcare provider unions to hear directly from them.”
” According to the Regulatory Colleges for Nurses and Doctors, we added 772 NET new practising doctors and nurses in 2023 (423 RNs, 263 LPNs, 15 RPNs, 71 doctors),” the statement reads.
“There are more health care workers in our system, not less.”