Rural Relief Program

Physicians practising in rural Saskatchewan are an integral part of a patient-focused health-care system. The SMA offers relief support to help rural physicians maintain a healthy work/life balance.

Rural Relief Program Many rural physicians provide medical coverage with heavy call responsibilities to the communities they serve. The Rural Relief Program is intended to provide relief from this demanding regime for periods of four to 14 days for practices in rural communities in which there are fewer than five physicians.

Through the Rural Relief Program, the SMA contracts physicians who are available to travel throughout rural Saskatchewan and replace the local physician on a temporary basis.

A physician may request the services of an SMA locum to attend a continuing medical education program, have a vacation or to ensure medical coverage to the community while attending to personal/family matters.

Host physicians pay a subsidized rate for each day of locum coverage, as well as an on-call retainer, and arrange accommodations for the visiting physician.

If you meet the program criteria and you require a locum, please submit your request up to six months in advance. Requests can be made online or by contacting the coordinator for the rural relief program. The SMA will contact you (approximately one month in advance) to let you know if a locum physician is available to fill your request.

For more information about the Rural Relief Program, contact:

Rochelle Plemel, Coordinator, Physician Relief (Locum) Program Email: rochelle.plemel@sma.sk.ca

Photo credit: Kristine Kim, internal medicine

Find out more at www.sma.sk.ca • Request a Rural Relief locum online