Residents in Lanigan and Wynyard will have new family doctors to access, thanks to the Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment program.

"Access to physician care continues to improve for people all across Saskatchewan because of SIPPA," stated Rural and Remote Health Minister Greg Ottenbreit. "We value internationally trained physicians, and we welcome them to our province. In total, we have nearly 650 more doctors practising in Saskatchewan than we did nine years ago."

In Lanigan, Dr. Chander Sharma is being welcomed, while in Wynyard, Dr. Akram Abdulkareem will be seeing patients.

Since the SIPPA program started in 2011, more than 190 new family physicians have completed the assessment and are currently practising in the province.

"The SIPPA program has been an invaluable tool for us as we work to create strong health care teams across all our communities in Saskatoon Health Region," said Physician Recruiter Jackie McKee. "Having these physicians successfully complete the program and being able to provide them with the opportunity to bring their skills to the people in their new communities and deliver exceptional health care shows how working together helps foster better health care delivery for our entire province."

There are currently 12 other graduates completing their field assessments, which will allow them to begin working in the province if they are successful.

Over the last three years, the retention rate for family medicine graduates trained at the University of Saskatchewan and staying to work in the province has climbed from 58 to 75 percent.