Moose Jaw doctors leaving hospital, provincial NDP calls it a ‘crisis’

WATCH: The Saskatchewan NDP said eight doctors have left Moose Jaw in the last year. Damian Smith has more on how the province is responding.

As another doctor prepares to leave Moose Jaw’s Dr. F.H. Wigmore Regional Hospital, the provincial NDP is calling for more to be done to keep doctors in the province.

“That’s a crisis for this city and thousands of Moose Jaw residents who rely on these doctors for care.” NDP MLA Jared Clarke said on Wednesday.

The NDP said according to frontline sources, eight doctors have left Moose Jaw over the past year, driven by factors like burnout and stress, along with two retirements.

Clarke said if a city of Moose Jaw’s size can’t retain its doctors, it raises questions about the rest of the province.

“Unfortunately, this problem is not limited just to Moose Jaw, it’s a pattern across Saskatchewan,” he said. “As of [Tuesday], there were 286 vacant physician positions in the province.”

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In a statement to CTV News, the Government of Saskatchewan said they are actively working to fill upcoming physician vacancies.

According to the province, since their Health Human Resources action plan was launched in 2022, Moose Jaw has seen 21 healthcare professionals hired under the rural and remote recruitment incentive, while 512 physicians have established practice in the province.

Additionally, the province says the Saskatchewan Health Authority has expanded medical residency seats and other training opportunities in Moose Jaw -- along with La Ronge, Prince Albert, North Battleford and Swift Current through various partnerships.

However, the opposition says more needs to be done to take the workload off family doctors, saying that Saskatchewan holds the second worst provincial rate for doctor retention behind only Newfoundland.

“Families deserve stability and access to care but the party is pushing doctors to the brink and out of our province,” Clarke said. “We need better incentives to keep doctors here, better recruitment and an end to the policies that pull doctors away from patient care.”

“We also need to take a critical look at how we provide primary care in this province, because the current model is obviously not working. This is about the future of our communities, of our province,” he added.