HEALTH CARE
Physician Resource Plan
DEVELOPMENT UNDERWAY IN SASKATCHEWAN
By Nicole Quintal
D
octors are going to play a key role as the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health moves forward with developing a Physician Resource Plan (PRP) that will
address both physician supply and population needs in the
province.
The project aims to develop a 10-year PRP for all physician
specialties that promotes quality, evidence-based care that
is sustainable. Advancing an evidence-based provincial PRP
will allow the province to take a proactive approach in areas such as physician training, medical school enrolment,
recruitment and retention, and the delivery of medical services, says Dr. David Peachey of Health Intelligence and As-
sociates, the consulting firm chosen to assist with the plan
preparations.
“This is something that jurisdictions have done before in
a piecemeal fashion, but never on a truly evidence-based
model and never with the level of stakeholder engagement
that a process like this one can have,” Dr. Peachey said.
Intensive stakeholder engagement is a cornerstone of evidence-based planning, which is becoming more common
at the government level across Canada.
PHYSICIAN INVOLVEMENT
The one-year Saskatchewan project initiated in mid-October 2013 and is involving doctors in the planning process
SMA NEWS DIGEST | SPRING 2014
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