Here's the one thing Sask. doctor organizations say would greatly improve health care in the province

Saskatchewan's two major physicians' organizations are asking the provincial government to devote a "significant portion" of new federal health care money to overhauling Saskatchewan's approach to family medicine.

"We believe every person deserves access to high-quality primary health care. We believe everyone who wants access to a 'medical home' — a team of primary health care professionals working together and led by a family physician — should have it," said Saskatchewan Medical Association president Dr. John Gjevre and Saskatchewan College of Family Physicians president Dr. Andries Muller in a joint statement shared with media.

Speaking on behalf of the organizations they represent, Gjevre and Muller call for a team-based approach to health care where nurses, mental health counsellors, pharmacists, nutritionists and physiotherapists work in collaboration to help patients with family physicians at the helm.

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"Tinkering at the edges of our current system won’t cut it. We need to invest differently and organize primary health care differently if we are to provide Saskatchewan citizens with better access and quality of care," the physicians said.

"The ideas we want to implement are not novel; they have been informed by other high-performing health systems across the globe – ones that have purposefully organized around and prioritized investments in primary health care."

The joint message was released ahead of Wednesday's announcement that the province had reached a deal with the federal government which will see as much as $5.94 billion in additional money flow into Saskatchewan’s health care budget over the next decade.

Money the physicians say would be best spent on a revamp of health care on the ground level.

"Saskatchewan physicians believe a good first step would be to allocate a significant portion of the recently announced new funding from the federal government to supporting, stabilizing, and redesigning how family medicine and primary health care is delivered," Gjevre and Muller said.

"Frail and aging people may be better served by visits from the appropriate health care workers in their homes. Patients will receive the right care, at the right time, by the right member of the team.

"Physicians and health care professionals stand to benefit too, from reduced workloads and administrative burdens, which will improve their well-being and their capacity to keep serving the people of this province."

While the pair acknowledges the task may appear "daunting," they argue that the changes are necessary and will have far-reaching benefits.

"Improving how we deliver care in the community will provide more value for the tax dollars spent, potentially decreasing the load on emergency rooms, hospitals, and long-term care facilities, and giving people ready access to the most appropriate supports."