The ministry is addressing the shortage of physicians in many communities through the Physician Recruitment Agency of Saskatchewan. The agency will act as one-stop point of contact for physicians to practise in Saskatchewan. Ed Mantler has been hired as CEO of the new agency.

Given the province's strong economy, competitive wages, and success in meeting and exceeding recruitment and retention targets, the ministry is scaling back some of the financial non-physician recruitment and retention incentives in the health sector.

The Saskatchewan Health Recruitment Grant Program is one of those incentives and was discontinued in March 2010. Introduced in 2006, the program provided relocation and recruitment grants to more than 2,000 health care workers.

Bursaries will remain; however, they will be targeted to those health professions in shortest supply as identified by health regions.

Job Guarantee and Mentorship to Keep and Attract Nurses
(News release, June 19, 2008)

Saskatchewan Union of Nurses and Government of Saskatchewan Partner to Retain and Recruit Nurses (link to news release)