In the 2024-25 Provincial Budget, our government has committed to investments that benefit our community and surrounding areas. Along with the ongoing support for the Prince Albert Victoria Hospital project and other health care initiatives, our government is investing in community safety.
A $180 million investment will fund the ongoing work at the Prince Albert Victoria Hospital. This will construct a new acute care tower featuring a heliport, an expanded emergency department, larger operating rooms, pediatrics, maternity, NICU, new medical imaging, and a First Nations and Métis Cultural space, among other key services.
The new tower and the existing facility will increase overall capacity by 40 per cent. Hospital bed numbers will increase from 173 to 242, with space to expand further as needed. This facility will serve Prince Albert and the northern communities for years to come.
Saskatchewan’s Health Human Resources (HHR) Action Plan continues to make significant progress in recruiting, training, incentivizing and retaining health professionals in the province. Since December 2022, a total of 1,097 nursing graduates from Saskatchewan and out-of-province have been hired, along with 225 internationally educated health professionals from the Philippines.
Work continues on the 550-seat training expansion initiated in 2023 for critical health training programs. As of January 2024, approximately 80 per cent of the new seats were made available for the 2023-24 academic year, with more becoming available this year.
New incentives have been recently introduced to continue to recruit and retain specialists in high demand. This includes a $200,000 incentive package over five years for anesthesia, psychiatry, breast and interventional radiology.
Since April 2023, an enhanced Rural Physician Incentive of up to $200,000 over five years has been offered to physicians practicing in rural and remote communities. To date, 256 applications have been received, with 118 approved for payment.
Continued investment in our ambitious HHR Action Plan ensures Saskatchewan remains an attractive place for health care professionals to live and work. Our government is committed to strengthening our health care system for quality patient care across the province.
For community safety, the budget allocates $7 million to further implement and hire for the Saskatchewan Marshals Service stationed in Prince Albert. This service will focus on provincial priorities such as gangs, illegal weapons, drugs, and apprehending high-risk offenders and wanted individuals. Expected to be operational in 2026, our government will continue to invest in keeping our communities safer and stronger.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to my constituency office by phone at 306-763-7677 or by email at panorthcote.mla@sasktel.net. Or you are always welcome to stop by the office at #7, 598 15th Street East.
