SASKATOON -- The Chief Medical Officer of the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) is defending a memo that appears to discourage physicians in positions of authority from speaking to outside agencies and the news media.

Dr. Susan Shaw says she disagrees with the Saskatchewan NDP's interpretation that a briefing note on physician communications was a "hush memo."

The memo advised doctors that minutes taken during department meetings can be subject to freedom of information requests. The NDP obtained the memo through an FOI request.

The note reads: "If you do not want to see it in the newspaper, then do not include it in the meeting minutes."

Shaw said the memo wasn't interpreted that way internally.

"I think we fully support our physicians and all of our staff speaking effectively, but having clarity on when you're speaking on behalf of the organization or when you're speaking personally, and I think that's something we all have to be mindful of."

The NDP released the note on Tuesday. NDP leader Ryan Meili said the note "sent a pretty clear message" to not advocate for patients in public without running it through the SHA. Health Minister Jim Reiter said the memo, which he said he had not seen before then, was in some places poorly worded but its intent was not to muzzle people.

Shaw told reporters Wednesday that the memo was prompted by a recent access to information request for meeting minutes, and concerns that what was included didn't meet the health region's professional and privacy standards.

She said that would potentially include information that would not be redacted under freedom of information legislation, though she said she did not want to go into hypotheticals.

However, Shaw said memo was not meant to limit what is recorded on meeting minutes.

"The intent was to remind people taking minutes and recording minutes that you should do so in a way that is consistent with privacy legislation and that we should always be, when we're communicating, mindful of being consistent with SHA positions or SHA priorities."

While the memo says physicians have spoken with external agencies – including the College of Physicians and Surgeons – without informing others in the SHA, leading to "discordant messaging," Shaw said she has no concern with physicians speaking to the college and advocating for their patients.

"I think the memo could have been written a bit more gracefully or with a bit more attention to some of the clarity with the messaging. I support the intent of the memo. It was to support our physician leaders and to remind them of the importance of being consistent in the way that we write and communicate."