The Saskatchewan Medical Association has embarked on its annual tour across the province, stopping in 11 locations to meet with local physicians in a forum designed to hear their concerns.
Both the president and vice-president of the SMA take time from their own schedules to conduct the tour. The purpose is to make contact with doctors in the province and hear what issues they are facing.
The SMA often finds that doctors can become isolated from one another — and even from their health regions — due to busy schedules, and the tour is one way the association seeks to reconnect the medical community province-wide.
This year, SMA president Dr. Allan Woo, an orthopedic surgeon from Saskatoon, and vice-president Dr. Barb Konstantynowicz, a family physician in Regina, stopped in Moose Jaw on Sept. 25.
“We want to make sure that [physicians] are doing the best work that they can, and that best work means having good work-life balance, making sure that patients are well and healthy, and that they understand what their role is within the system,” said Woo. “It's exciting times for sure. We're facing some new challenges.”
While the Moose Jaw Express was not privy to the meeting, Woo was able to share some of the recurring concerns Saskatchewan physicians have shared recently, including the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s ongoing restructuring into one universal health region.
“That's been a big topic, trying to figure out where the communication lies between physicians and the health authority,” said Woo. “We have some issues with bylaws. . . that sort of dictate how physicians interact and relate to the health authority.”
Another issue that has been a concern in the last few years is the ongoing negotiations with the Ministry of Health for a new Medical Compensation Review Committee agreement, which expired in 2017.
“The SMA is at the table with the Health Authority and the Ministry [of Health] on both of those topics,” said Woo. “I think we're making some good points in terms of trying to make healthcare better.”
All of the feedback collected during the president’s tour will be used to inform how the SMA proceeds on issues in the future.
“A lot of issues carry on from year to year, because obviously nothing gets solved right away,” said Woo. “We understand the struggles that SHA and Ministry have are the same struggles that physicians have at the local level, so as long as we're still having a dialogue that's open and respectful, then I think we can achieve some success.”
