There was a sigh of relief from the Sun Country Health Region following the recent contract agreement between the Saskatchewan government and its physicians.
Sun Country Health Region CEO Marga Cugnet said the effects of this new agreement won't be fully realized for some time, but noted a lot of positives come with the ratified contract.
"It's always good when the physicians are having discussions about how we can can provide better care," Cugnet told the Mercury. "Whether its more chronic disease management or more comprehensive care, and those were some of the programs I know were discussed at the negotiations table. I think those types of discussions enhance the type of care that is potentially provided to patients in Saskatchewan."
The ratified contract provides physicians with a total fee increase of 4.9 per cent, along with three per cent in one-time lump sum payment. According to the Health Ministry of Saskatchewan, funding for medical services and programs will increase by approximately $85 million over the four-year agreement.
Cugnet said this agreement also marks renewed stability in the health-care system. She also noted Sun Country Health Region's widespread coverage in the southeast has its difficulties, and though they've been able to overcome them, recruitment and retention of doctors and nurses, specifically in the rural parts of the southeast, still remains a challenge.
"As with other regions, recruiting to areas smaller than Weyburn and Estevan can be a challenge, and it was even a challenge in Weyburn and Estevan for several years," she said. "Anything that will enhance recruitment and retention is an advantage for all of us. We hope that once we do recruit into those smaller communities that we have the ability to keep those physicians there and have their families settle there."
Cugnet mentioned the community of Redvers with its recently opened health-care centre, and emphasized the long road various parties had to travel to ensure the entire project became a reality.
"Redvers lost its last physician back in Decemeber of 2009, and since then, it has taken a lot of work between the province, the community and the health region to recruit three physicians into that local community," she said. "Now, we have that base of physicians who can cover the emergency room 24/7 and still have a balanced life."
The Redvers Health Centre opened the acute-care portion of its facility earlier today.
Cugnet added the process of recruiting a full complement of nurses for the health centre took a while, too.
"It's quite a cycle for communities to work through," she said.
The contract covers the period from April 1, 2013, to March 31, 2017. Ninety per cent of physicians voted in favour of the agreement. There are more than 2,200 licensed physicians who practice in Saskatchewan, an increase of 27.7 per cent since 2007, according to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health.
