By Angela Hill

New program to support rural family practices

Feb 24, 2011 | 6:47 AM

Six family physicians will have the opportunity to develop skills to support their communities through a new enhanced skills program.

One of them is already training in surgery and obstetrics at Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert.

“These individuals, after a one-year program where they are concentrated in obstetrics, gynecology and general surgery will be able to go to smaller communities, that have surgical capabilities, and will be able to perform caesarean sections and things like gall bladders … various enhanced surgical skills,” said Dr. Tom Smith-Windsor, supervisor of the pilot project in Prince Albert and associate dean of rural and northern medical education for the University of Saskatchewan.

The federal Ministry of Health announced support for the six training places by funding the positions through the University of Saskatchewan. It was one of several announcements, Wednesday, made across the country, set to provide a total of $3.4 million over six years through the Pan-Canadian Health Human Resources Strategy.

In Saskatchewan it will mean family physicians will be given training to develop the skill set to expand their practices in rural and remote communities throughout the province.

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“So if they go to a community and find there is a particular need for enhanced skills, in surgery and or obstetrics, they will be able to come back to this centre, or possibly in future other centres, and learn the skills they need to support the community in that regard,” Smith-Windsor said.

The eventual idea is to offer increased services in places where the community is not large enough to accommodate specialists or surgeons, but there are still great travel distances, he said.

“We’re looking at communities such as Ile-a-la-Crosse, La Ronge, places like Nipawin, towns of that sort to of size where traditionally they used to have surgical services, but no longer do.”

A family physician with these enhanced skills is already working in Meadow Lake.

Doctors will be eligible for a year of enhanced skills training after completing two years of a rural family practice residency program.

The hope is that federal funding will support the Government of Saskatchewan's plan to create and maintain an adequate health workforce in underserved communities.

ahill@panow.com