Virtual care – the ability to talk to your doctor via phone or video - has changed the way physicians practise medicine, but one thing remains the same.

Saskatchewan’s family physicians have a simple message for residents of the province: Stay home and save lives.

A “Back to basics” 2019 Fall Representative Assembly (RA) heard the relationship between the province’s physicians and the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) still needs work, two years after the formation of the SHA.

In recognition of integral role physicians play in the health system, the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) has established three leadership awards – one each for Physician, Resident and Student Leader of the Year.

The Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) and the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that establishes a new partnership between the two organizations.

Physicians from across the province who gathered in Saskatoon on May 3-4, 2019, elected Dr. Allan Woo, an orthopedic surgeon, as president of the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) for 2019-2020. Dr. Woo was formally inducted during an evening ceremony on May 3, which also featured the announcement of Dr. Sean Groves as the SMA’s 2019 Physician of the Year.

The Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) is pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Sean Groves of La Ronge as 2019 Physician of the Year. The award was presented during the SMA’s 2019 Spring Representative Assembly on Friday evening, May 3, 2019, at the Sheraton Cavalier in Saskatoon.

Dr. Allan Woo, an orthopaedic surgeon from Saskatoon, was elected president of the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) on Friday, May 3, at the 2019 Spring Representative Assembly (RA) in Saskatoon. He succeeds Dr. Siva Karunakaran, a Regina nephrologist.

After almost 50 years, Ed Hobday is still stickhandling his way through contracts and negotiations, and battling in the corners for Saskatchewan’s physicians. Hobday’s career with the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) reaches a milestone in August when he receives the CMA Owen Adams Award of Honour, the highest award the Canadian Medical Association bestows on an individual who is not a member of the medical profession.

The Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) applauds the provincial government’s 2019 budget for recognizing the dire need for more spending on mental health initiatives. The SMA has been advocating for years for mental health spending in the province to align more closely with national standards, which is seven per cent of total health spending.