COMMUNIQUé - College of Medicine - University of Saskatchewan

Celebrating 25 years of
Northern Medical Services
For the past 25 years, Northern Medical Services has been filling a
void by providing family physicians and stability to the North.
Outgoing director Dr. Peter Butt says it’s sometimes difficult to
provide that stability.
“It’s an ongoing struggle in the health human resource field.
We’ve got a lack of family physicians in the country, so we’re
competing not only within the province but also nationally and
internationally.” Right now NMS is
very dependent on South African
doctors.
NMS has come a long way from
when it first began in 1985 with six
family physicians and three support
staff. Now there are 31 physicians,
two medical health officers and
numerous support staff. NMS was
developed because back in the early
1980s, communities in the province’s
northwest were having difficulty
recruiting and retaining physicians.
“At Uranium City, the mines were
shutting down, and the population went from about 5,000 down
to about 200 or so,” remembers Pat Stewart, Assistant Director of
Administration and Finance, who has been with NMS since the
beginning.
Ile-à-la-Crosse also faced struggles, as 34 physicians passed
through that community in slightly more than two years.
In 1984, Saskatchewan Health and Health and Welfare Canada
approached the University of Saskatchewan and asked the
College of Medicine to devise a program to ensure physician
placement in those northern communities. A tri-partite
agreement was reached, and in July 1985, NMS assumed
formal responsibility of physician services to the west side
and Athabasca basin, eventually expanding beyond that.
Butt says physicians are paid a salary or stipend rather than
charging a fee for service. “So that they’re freer to engage
with their patients, families and communities and
develop a relationship with them, develop insight
into the history and the culture, and hopefully
be more sensitive in their practice.”
(physicians are)...freer to engage
with their patients, families and
communities and develop a
relationship with them, develop
insight into the history and the
culture, and hopefully be more
sensitive in their practice.
Butt says some doctors have been with the program since its
inception, and others have been there in excess of five years.
“That’s a significant period of time in a physician’s career in
a small, rural or remote community when you consider the
options they have, so quite clearly these people have a
commitment and passion. “
New director of the program, Dr. Veronica McKinney, feels a
strong responsibility to serve the North as an Aboriginal person
herself, knowing that very few Aboriginal
people have the opportunity to
become doctors. “This ability to relate
an intimate knowledge of the issues
surrounding the poor health status of
many Aboriginal people compared to
the general Canadian population makes
me far more useful to the community
and able to support the decolonization
process that needs to continue, and in
some cases start, in regards to health
care delivery. “
McKinney hopes taking the position
will mean an increased sensitivity and
awareness of Indigenous process, “which
ultimately leads to a more community-centered approach, and
improved health status.”
s
14 C O M M U N I Q U É College of Medicine • University of Saskatchewan