Sask. government hopes physician assistants will help take pressure off health care system
Legislation to license physician assistants has been introduced by the Government of Saskatchewan.
The primary role of physician assistants is to ease the burden of doctors. Saskatchewan has experienced struggles with their health care system, with several groups and politicians calling for more to be done.
The Medical Profession Amendment Act, 2023 was introduced on Thursday in the legislature and will regulate physician assistants under the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan, according to a news release from the province.
"Licensing and integrating Physician Assistants into our health care teams will help meet the health care needs of Saskatchewan people," health minister Paul Merriman said in the release.
The legislation supports $1.3 million in spending from the provincial budget to create 12 physician assistant positions across the health care system for the first time, according to the release.
Expected benefits to patients include reduced wait times, improved discharge rates, and decrease in length of hospital stays, as physician assistants are meant to reduce physician workload, the province said.
Before the legislation was introduced, the Ministry of Health consulted with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Medical Association, and the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, NDP MLA Vicki Mowat said this is what physicians have been calling for, is to create a system of team-based care where people can work to the maximum of their scope.
“That could include physician assistants, in can also include nurse practitioners, it can include all members of the health care team,” she said.
Mowat said what is yet to be seen is how the legislation is going to be operationalized
“Who are these folks that are physician assistants? Where are they coming from? Because we don’t train physician assistants in this province. What does the licensing look like?” she asked.
The legislation will come into force upon proclamation, according to the province.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.