DistantNews
Support us
Saskatchewan health recruitment plan yielding results, minister says, but opposition questions outcomes
🇨🇦 Canada /Elections & Politics

Saskatchewan health recruitment plan yielding results, minister says, but opposition questions outcomes

From Global News · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Saskatchewan's health minister reports over 7,500 health-care professionals have joined the province since the 2022 launch of its Health Human Resources Action Plan.
  • The plan, which includes the Saskatchewan Healthcare Recruitment Agency, aims to attract and retain workers through targeted advertising and streamlined recruitment.
  • Opposition critics question the plan's effectiveness, particularly regarding physician recruitment, while a union leader urges a focus on retaining existing staff.

Saskatchewan's health minister, Jeremy Cockrill, announced that the province's Health Human Resources (HHR) Action Plan has successfully recruited over 7,500 health-care professionals since its 2022 launch. The plan, implemented through the Saskatchewan Healthcare Recruitment Agency (SHRA), focuses on attracting and retaining nurses and doctors through targeted advertising and streamlined recruitment processes.

We have some physicians who notice those ads. What they do is visit our website, create a profile, and from there, our team notices them and begins working with them.

— Terri StrunkCEO of the Saskatchewan Healthcare Recruitment Agency explains the recruitment process.

Terri Strunk, CEO of SHRA, explained that the agency uses targeted advertising to attract workers from outside the province. Prospective health-care professionals create profiles on the agency's website, which are then used by the team to connect them with recruiters. Strunk defended a campaign aimed at U.S. physicians, noting that seven are currently in the hiring process, though she acknowledged the process can be lengthy.

We’re continuing to spend taxpayers’ dollars and we’re not seeing any new health-care workers, no new physicians added to the rolls.

— Nathaniel TeedNDP labour critic questions the effectiveness of the province's recruitment efforts.

Despite the minister's claims, the province's New Democratic Party (NDP) opposition is skeptical. Nathaniel Teed, NDP labour critic, questioned the results, stating that taxpayer money is being spent without a noticeable increase in health-care workers or physicians. The province has recruited 742 physicians and 3,000 nurses from countries including the U.S., Ireland, the UK, and the Philippines.

They’re in the process right now and it can take a good amount of time for the employers to work through those referrals.

— Terri StrunkCEO of the Saskatchewan Healthcare Recruitment Agency defends the U.S. physician recruitment campaign.

Bashir Jalloh, president of CUPE Local 5430, representing over 14,000 health-care workers, advised the health ministry to prioritize retaining current staff before focusing on international recruitment. His comments follow the union's announcement of a potential job action vote in September due to ongoing labor negotiations. Cockrill expressed optimism about reaching an agreement with the union.

The first thing they have to do is to focus on what we are we gonna do to retain the current people we have, and when we do that, then we can embark on recruitment.

— Bashir JallohPresident of CUPE Local 5430 urges the health ministry to prioritize retaining existing staff.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Global News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog