More medicine grads staying in Saskatchewan

More doctors being trained in Saskatchewan are staying in Saskatchewan.

The province says 30 new family medicine graduates from the University of Saskatchewan are now practising in the province.

The retention rate for grads is improving, with 75 per cent staying in Saskatchewan. The province says that’s a jump of 17 per cent over the last two years.

“I’m delighted these medical graduates are choosing to stay and practise in Saskatchewan,” Rural and Remote Health Minister Greg Ottenbreit said in a news release. “We value our locally-trained physicians, and we want patients right here in Saskatchewan to benefit from their training and expertise.”

The province has taken steps to recruit and retain more doctors. That includes a competitive compensation package – one the government calls one of the best in Canada. The number of post-grad training seats has also doubled to 120, while the number of undergraduate medical education seats is up to 100.