A move to the city did not bring easier access
When Mitch Bellefleur left Weyburn for university and settled in Saskatoon, he believed finding a family physician would be more straightforward in a larger city. Nearly six years later, he is still looking for one.
Bellefleur had a regular doctor as a young child in southeastern Saskatchewan. That arrangement ended when he was 10 and the physician moved to a larger centre in search of more opportunities. His family was not given direction on how to find another provider, and, with doctors in the community already carrying full patient lists, Bellefleur spent much of his childhood without a regular health-care professional.
He spoke about his experience at a media event Friday, Oct. 30, at the Saskatchewan NDP’s constituency office on 8th Street. Finding a family doctor was one of his priorities after arriving in Saskatoon, but repeated efforts have produced the same result: clinics have told him they cannot take on additional patients because their physicians are already working at capacity.
| Point in Bellefleur’s experience | What happened |
|---|---|
| Childhood in southeastern Saskatchewan | His family doctor left the community when he was 10 |
| Move to Saskatoon | He arrived about six years ago to attend university |
| Since arriving | He has continued searching and relies on walk-in care |
‘Flying blind’ without routine care
Bellefleur said he considers himself fortunate to be healthy. At the same time, he said the absence of regular care leaves him uncertain about his overall health because he has not had routine assessments that might otherwise form a baseline.
“I've never had a regular physical, never had blood work done. I'm also flying blind here in a sense,” he said.
He regularly attends walk-in clinics and uses those visits to ask doctors whether they would consider accepting him as a long-term patient. The responses have consistently been negative, he said, because the physicians are already at capacity. He also approached a clinic where family-medicine residents train, hoping he could be matched with a physician in training who might eventually become his regular provider.
His concern extends beyond his own situation. Bellefleur said he worries about people living with chronic illnesses who need consistent medical attention, as well as students arriving in Saskatoon each year without an established connection to primary care. For someone who has moved from a smaller Saskatchewan community, the city’s size has not necessarily translated into a dependable point of contact within the health system.
- Bellefleur has been without a regular family physician since moving to Saskatoon.
- He says local clinics have declined to take him because doctors are at capacity.
- Walk-in visits remain his main way of seeing a doctor.
His story reflects the practical consequences of moving between communities when a long-standing doctor-patient relationship is interrupted. In Weyburn, the departure of one physician left his family without guidance on what to do next. In Saskatoon, a larger number of clinics has not resolved the problem for him, as he continues to encounter full patient rosters. For now, each walk-in appointment addresses an immediate need, while the search for ongoing care continues.
