Third physician being added in Porcupine Plain as part of an overall strategy to stabilize emergency services
The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) is pleased to announce the addition of a third physician position in Porcupine Plain. This is part of an overall strategy for stabilizing emergency services in the community. This strategy also includes securing locum coverage where there are temporary gaps in physician coverage, piloting a new Virtual Physician (VP) program, and capitalizing on incentive programs to attract the required staff for stable 24-hour per day emergency coverage.
“The SHA recognizes the importance of having accessible emergency services available in rural communities,” said Andrew Will, Chief Executive Officer, Saskatchewan Health Authority. “We are pleased to have support to add an additional physician to the team in Porcupine Plain and we are looking at new and innovative ways to ensure emergency services are always accessible.”
Porcupine Plain currently has one physician in place providing coverage. A second physician has been recruited and is expected to complete the Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment (SIPPA) program in August. Recruitment of the recently approved third physician for Porcupine Plain is underway. The SHA is committed to fully restoring emergency services in Porcupine Plain as soon as possible.
The SHA has also chosen Porcupine Plain as a pilot site for its new VP program. The VP will provide nurses on-site with virtual access to a physician through Healthline 811 when no local physician is available to provide coverage in Porcupine Plain. This will help maintain emergency services while recruitment is ongoing to achieve the full complement of three physicians in Porcupine Plain.
“Providing services as close to home as possible is a priority for the SHA,” said Will. “The VP will give our on-site emergency room staff access to virtual triage services when there are temporary challenges with physician coverage, helping us bridge the gap until we recruit the physician resources to stabilize emergency services in Porcupine Plain.”
Due to ongoing challenges with securing locum physician coverage, the Porcupine Carragana Hospital Emergency Room (ER) is experiencing a temporary service disruption impacting evenings and weekends. The ER will be open between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday starting June 5, 2023, through the month of June. The ER will be on bypass after-hours and on weekends during this time.
The plan is to restore 24-hour access to emergency services in July to be provided by the local physician, locum physicians as available and, where required, through the support of the VP pilot program.
Recruitment efforts will be supported by new incentives. In April, the Government of Saskatchewan announced enhancements to the Rural Physician Incentive Program (RPIP) to help attract more physicians to rural and northern communities. The enhanced incentive of up to $200,000 over five years is more than four times the incentive that was previously offered. In addition, hard-to-recruit staff considering moving to Porcupine Plain are now eligible for the $50,000 Rural and Remote Incentive. Expanding these incentive programs is part of the Government of Saskatchewan's nearly $100 million investment in 2023-24 to support the Health Human Resources Action Plan.
“I want to thank the community leaders in Porcupine Plain for working collaboratively with us on this strategy,” said Will. “We are grateful for their willingness to work in partnership with us to better serve the residents of Porcupine Plain and area.”
Individuals requiring emergency services when the Porcupine Carragana Hospital is in temporary disruption are urged to call 9-1-1, or visit the Tisdale Hospital ER, Hudson Bay Health Care Facility ER, or the Kelvington and Area Hospital ER. Non-urgent health-related questions can be directed to the provincial HealthLine 24/7 by calling 8-1-1.