The Saskatchewan Party government said its Health Human Resources (HHR) Action Plan made significant progress since it launched in September 2022. Health Minister Everett Hindley reported that over $300 million has been invested in initiatives to recruit, train, and retain healthcare workers."When our government unveiled the HHR Action Plan, we recognized it was ambitious but necessary to stabilize and reinforce our valued healthcare professionals," said Everett Hindley, Minister of Health. "Each pillar has had major positive impacts by recruiting hundreds of high-priority healthcare workers, adding hundreds of post-secondary training seats and new programs for students, delivering incentives to benefit health service delivery in rural and northern Saskatchewan communities, attracting specialists, and investing in supportive programs to retain our valued healthcare workforce."The government claimed recruitment success, including 218 physicians from outside the province and 35 from other countries. The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) hired more than 1,400 recent nursing graduates and nearly 400 internationally educated nurses from the Philippines."The Ministry of Advanced Education has been playing a significant role in supporting the Health Human Resources Action Plan since its inception, and I am very proud of the work done in partnership with our institutions to operationalize this ambitious initiative," said Colleen Young, Minister of Advanced Education. "Saskatchewan students now have more opportunities than ever before to train for a career in healthcare, which is pivotal for the sector and the people it serves."The government also points to incentive programs aimed at filling hard-to-recruit positions in rural and remote areas. "Our competitive HHR Action Plan has attracted a diverse group of new healthcare professionals to our vibrant and welcoming communities across rural and northern Saskatchewan," said Tim McLeod, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Seniors, and Rural and Remote Health."These smaller centres provide unique opportunities to use a full range of skillsets and expertise within the workplace. It is exciting to see our young people receive rewarding employment opportunities upon graduation right here in Saskatchewan."The Sask NDP gives a different picture of the province's healthcare system. NDP Leader Carla Beck announced a plan to address ongoing staffing shortages."Public healthcare was born right here in Saskatchewan, but our system has been driven into chaos by Scott Moe and the Sask Party," said Beck. "Families deserve care when and where they need it, and that's what a Saskatchewan NDP government intends to deliver."Beck's plan includes a $1.1 billion investment in frontline services and strategies to retain healthcare workers in the province. Beck has concerns about vacant positions and the use of out-of-province contractors."The Sask Party has not hired enough doctors and nurses, plain and simple. We're losing out to other provinces," said Beck."We don't have enough frontline workers to serve our population. We need to staff up and then we need to keep them here."The NDP showed data from the Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI) showing that Saskatchewan is last in surgical wait times and healthcare worker retention. Since Scott Moe became Premier in 2018, the most recent CIHI data showed a 21% decline in rural registered nurses, from 2,234 to 1,760.Beck's proposed plan includes creating a Nursing Task Force and involving healthcare workers more directly in decision-making processes. "Healthcare workers have been through so much taking care of us, and we need to take care of them so we can all improve public healthcare in the great province where it started," said Beck.
