Strong and Steady Health Care Recruitment Progress Continues in Saskatchewan

CANADA, July 28 - Released on July 28, 2026

The ongoing work of SHRA, SHA and other health partner agencies is directly advancing the province's Patients First Health Care Plan to ensure residents have access to high quality care close to home.

Since the launch of the HHR Action Plan in 2022, Saskatchewan has made significant progress in recruiting, training, incentivizing and retaining health care professionals in a highly competitive national and global market. More than 7,500 doctors, nurses and other health care professionals have joined the provincial health care system in the past four years.

"Our government is proud to welcome these highly skilled physicians, nurses and allied health professionals from across Canada and the world to our great province," Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said. "I would like to thank the Saskatchewan Healthcare Recruitment Agency for all the work they have done to support our health care system. Through strong collaboration, we are steadily growing our health care workforce which puts patients first by ensuring the right care is available in the right place, at the right time." 

Saskatchewan continues to see strong physician recruitment through dedicated international recruitment efforts in the United States, Ireland and the United Kingdom. As a result, more emergency medicine, anesthesiologists, pediatrics, rehabilitation and family medicine physicians are choosing to stay in Saskatchewan.

The SHRA continues to play a role in supporting this progress, with an expanded mandate to streamline provincial recruitment and strengthen Saskatchewan's presence in national and international markets. The agency provides a single, coordinated entry point for health care professionals interested in building their careers in Saskatchewan.

“I am incredibly proud of what our team and partners have accomplished but just as importantly, we are clear-eyed about the work ahead,” SHRA CEO Terri Strunk said. “Working with partners across government, the health system and communities, we are strengthening the pipelines and practices that will sustain Saskatchewan’s health care workforce. This past year the SHRA expanded its reach, advancing targeted national and international recruitment, strengthening pathways for internationally educated professionals and deepening engagement with students, residents and communities across Saskatchewan.”

A significant deliverable in 2025-26 was the launch of Health Careers Saskatchewan, unifying recruitment efforts under a single, modern provincial brand and website healthcareersk.ca.

Recruitment efforts are also delivering strong results across a range of allied health professions. The SHA has focused their hiring on recent nursing graduates from within and outside the province.

"Saskatchewan continues to establish itself as a destination of choice for health care professionals looking to build meaningful careers and make an impact," Saskatchewan Health Authority, Integrated Saskatoon Health, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mark Fenton said. "The hiring success in recent months of both the SHRA and SHA, supported by Ministry of Health and other partners demonstrates the strength of a focused, provincial approach to attracting talent, supporting new team members and addressing workforce needs. Together, we are creating a stronger health system and improving access to care for Saskatchewan residents."

Training Saskatchewan people for health care careers remains foundational to building a sustainable workforce. More than 1,000 new medical, specialist, nursing and allied health training seats have been added since 2022, along with a new Master of Physician Assistant Studies program, the first of four new health profession programs to be developed in the province.

Saskatchewan continues offering competitive incentives to support recruitment and encourage more people to pursue careers in health care. For example, the Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive has helped fill hundreds of hard-to-recruit positions in rural and remote communities.

Retention also remains a priority with hundreds of new and enhanced positions created to stabilize rural and northern staffing, including new emergency-focused roles in multiple communities.

As Saskatchewan continues to grow its health care workforce, the HHR Action Plan will remain a key part of supporting the Patients First Health Care Plan and improving access to care across the province.

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For more information, contact:

Media Relations
Health
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4083
Email: [email protected]

Saskatchewan Healthcare Recruitment Agency
Saskatoon
Phone: 306-933-5000
Email: [email protected]

Media Relations
Saskatchewan Health Authority
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4083
Email: [email protected]