Each year, the SMA and SCFP advocate to the Ministry of Health for the official designation of May 19 as Saskatchewan Family Physician Day, which coincides with World Family Doctor Day. To highlight the vital role of family physicians in Saskatchewan health care, an official promotional social media campaign will launch four weeks before May 19.
The day is recognized by an event called Walk with Your Doc. Community Champions in various communities around the province hold a walk and invite patients and staff. Walk with Your Doc connects family physicians with their communities through organized walks and gatherings. These events build relationships, promote the profession, and encourage healthy, active lifestyles.
To help address this, the SMA has negotiated agreements with the provincial government that invest in the creation of family physician-led, team-based care models. We hope this model retains the family physicians we have, attracts new ones to Saskatchewan and encourages medical students to specialize in family medicine in the province.
The current agreement includes resources that support the patient’s medical home framework and the $10-million family physician-led Innovation Fund.
Patient medical homes and the Innovation fund are part of a larger plan to expand access to primary care teams that complement, not replace, the work and practice of family physicians.
