Prince Albert’s Dr. Andre Grobler is the new president of the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) following a vote during the 2024 SMA Spring Representative Assembly in Regina on Friday.
Grobler succeeds Saskatoon gynecologist Dr. Annette Epp in the one-year role. In a press release sent out following the vote, Grobler said he wants Saskatchewan doctors to feel like they are supported by the government and their healthcare partners.
“We need to establish a dialogue so that decisions are made with the input and knowledge of physicians,” Grobler said in a press release. “We can accomplish much more if we work together.”
The SMA ratified a new four-year contract with the provincial government in February. Grobler said Saskatchewan medicine is in “a period of change” following the new agreement, but he’s optimistic about the future.
“Change brings opportunity,” he said. “I will listen and advocate for Saskatchewan’s physicians as the SMA and the government continue the detailed work of implementing the agreement.”
Grobler was born and raised in Pretoria, South Africa. He studied medicine at the University of the Free State and worked in trauma and family medicine for two years before moving to Saskatchewan in 2008.
He started practicing in Estevan, but moved to Prince Albert in 2014 to enroll in the Surgical Skills Program.
Grobler intended to stay in Prince Albert for one year, but ended up remaining in the community. He now works in family medicine, emergency medicine, obstetrics, GP surgery, and as a hospitalist. He also travels to northern communities where he manages care for expectant mothers before they travel to Prince Albert.
Grobler said he’s “honoured and privileged” but the support of his colleagues, and grateful for his time working in Prince Albert.
“My experience as a physician in Saskatchewan has been rewarding,” he said. “I have been blessed with the abundance of opportunities that working in rural and regional medicine provides. I have also been fortunate to work with and be mentored by great physicians. I truly respect and admire the doctors of Saskatchewan.”
Grobler is the 58th president in the SMA’s history.
