On Sept. 22, John Gjevre, President of the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA), made a trip to Moose Jaw as part of his annual trip around the province to speak with local physicians from the South-Central Medical Staff Association to discuss issues of interest.  

Gjevre says following the meeting that it was great to get all the doctors together to discuss serious issues that affect the healthcare system.   

“We had 31 doctors present, which was wonderful, a lot of folks and good discussion,” says Gjevre. 

The discussion included topics such as physician burnout, upcoming Ministry of Health contract negotiations, and the biggest issue brought forward were problems with human resources and the recruitment and retention of family physicians.  

“This is a national problem, there are not enough family doctors across the entire country so it’s not just Saskatchewan and Moose Jaw. It’s very difficult to recruit family physicians, there are not as many medical students going into family medicine residency. There’s a lot of reasons behind that, but it’s just there’s not that many coming out and getting trained in family medicine.” 

Gjevre adds that due to there being not a lot of family medicine residents, it has become a challenge to replace the current physicians that are looking to retire or move away.  

The shortage doesn’t just lie with physicians either, as the whole healthcare field is dealing with vacancies due to COVID-19 putting a lot of pressure on staff and the medical field. 

“Sometimes there are not enough nurses, physiotherapists, or respiratory therapists. You need a team approach to care for patients, so you need everyone on the healthcare team.” 

A 2020-21 Medical Services Branch Annual Statistical Report, showed a total of 36 General Practitioners in Moose Jaw, which is an increase of four from the previous year. Moose Jaw is a city of roughly 34,000 people – so, one general physician is responsible for roughly 944 patients, if every single resident has a family doctor.   

The Canadian Medical Association said in a release in May that in 2020, just over 1,400 family physicians exited the post-graduate training system to enter practice. Between 2015 and 2021, the percentage of medical graduates choosing family medicine fell from 38.5 per cent to 31.8. The average age of today’s family doctors is 49 years old.    

Saskatchewan is trying to do its part to try and retain and recruit family physicians to the province. In their 2022-23 budget, the provincial government included an additional $3.5 million to expand and enhance recruiting and retainment-focused programs.   

Physician shortages aren’t the only thing that is at the top of local doctors' minds. 

Another area of concern for area doctors was their upcoming contract negotiations with the Ministry of Health. The previous five-year contract expired on March 31, and it will remain in effect until a new contract is ratified.  

“Inflation’s rate has been going up here in Canada and that affects all physicians and most physicians are essentially small business owners. They rent or lease office space and pay admin assistants and receptionists. As general costs go up it does affect the physicians.” 

Doctors and those in the healthcare field here in Moose Jaw feel like their voices aren’t being heard by the SHA Gjevre explains.  

“We need to communicate better with each other and there are some solutions that the frontline physicians might be able to offer to the health authority, we need to have that dialogue. There needs to be a more collaborative approach to improving healthcare for our patients.” 

The annual President and Vice-President’s Tour is a tradition of the SMA and is a key means by which SMA leadership stays in touch with physicians across the province.  

Gjevre concluded by saying that if doctors have any concerns that they would like heard, to reach out through their website.