‘A long way to go’: New doctors ease service gaps in Watrous, Sask.

Over the summer Watrous residents raised concerns about frequent emergency room closures, but say that recently things have taken a positive turn.

Having new doctors in the community has given Watrous resident Angela Silzer some peace of mind.

“Six months ago, we were definitely worried about if we had an issue, would we have to go to Humboldt or Saskatoon?”

The Watrous emergency department experienced 89 service disruptions in 2025. The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) says the majority were due to staffing shortages.

Silzer is the executive director for Interlake Human Resources Corporation, which operates a group home for adults experiencing intellectual disabilities located across the street from the hospital.

She says with multiple doctors either leaving the community or shortening their hours earlier this year, she was concerned about the group home residents.

“When you’re dealing with people with, you know, complex health issues having to go out of town and having to wait a long time for an appointment is really challenging” said Silzer.

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Now that two new doctors are helping fill the service gaps, she hopes things are starting to turn around.

“Especially rurally like this,” she said. “We don’t have a lot of options. And, you know, if you have to travel an hour, that could be the difference between really life and death or long term effects.”

The SHA says in Watrous the virtual physician program has prevented 230 disruptions since April.

“Physician recruitment efforts continue, with two new physicians expected to start in Watrous in February,” the SHA said in a statement.

“Saskatchewan, like all provinces nationwide, is facing a shortage of physicians. We are working hard with our partners to recruit and retain doctors, including through targeted U.S. recruitment campaigns and other initiatives.”

Silzer says while the improvement is welcome, it will take more to rebuild her trust in the healthcare system.

“We still have a long way to go, to get things back to where everybody was always comfortable,” she said. “You can see a doctor, you knew you had emergency care. We need to get back to that.”

The Town of Watrous is located about 190 kilometres south of Prince Albert.