REGINA — According to the Government of Saskatchewan, health-care staffing numbers in Saskatchewan rank higher than the five-year national and western Canadian average in several key categories.
The province cites information recently released by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) and other sources.
According to CIHI's Health Workforce in Canada Overview, Saskatchewan had the highest per capita numbers of regulated nursing professionals in western Canada every year between 2019 and 2023. Saskatchewan’s 2023 rate of 1,384 nursing professionals per 100,000 people was higher than both the Western Canadian and Canadian averages of 1,188 and 1,192 respectively. Over the past five years, Saskatchewan has added 1,056 more nursing professionals to its workforce, or a 6.7 per cent increase.
Saskatchewan’s Registered Nurses (RN) rates per 100,000 residents rose to 973 in 2023, up from 940 in 2019, a 3.5 per cent increase. The 2023 per capita RN numbers are considerably higher than the national average of 803, and the western average of 810. Saskatchewan is continuing work to increase those rates by adding capacity in training programs, and targeted efforts in recruitment programs. These per capita rates from CIHI are validated by licensing numbers published by the College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan that show a nearly 18 per cent increase in licensed RNs between 2018 and 2023.
A per capita increase in Saskatchewan’s Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) from 318 in 2019 to 324 in 2023 is also reported. Saskatchewan’s 2023 per capita LPNs is above the western Canadian average of 309.
Provincial data shows that from December 2022 to June 2024, the Saskatchewan Health Authority has hired more than 1,400 in-and-out-of-province nursing graduates.
CIHI’s release also reports that in 2023, there were 200 paramedics in Saskatchewan per 100,000, a 19.5 per cent increase from 2019.
