The Newcomer Healthcare Guide

This guide was written for immigrants, refugees, international students, temporary and permanent residents, and newcomer families who currently live in Saskatchewan and want a clear starting point for understanding how healthcare works here. It is offered equally in French and English, because we believe your ability to understand your health information should never depend on which of Canada's official languages you speak.

Use the table of contents to jump straight to what you need, or read start to finish. Each section stands on its own, so there's no wrong place to begin.

Saskatchewan has a publicly funded healthcare system. If you hold a valid Saskatchewan Health Card, medically necessary visits to a doctor or nurse practitioner and medically necessary hospital care are covered at no cost to you at the point of care. The system is funded through taxes, not through fees paid at each visit.

Your health card is what proves you're covered. You'll be asked for it, or its number, almost anywhere you receive care: a doctor's office, a walk-in clinic, a hospital, or a lab.

What's generally included

• Visits to a family doctor or nurse practitioner
• Visits to medical specialists (usually with a referral)
• Hospital stays and emergency department care
• Most medically necessary surgery
• Many lab tests and diagnostic imaging ordered by your provider

What's usually not automatically included

Prescription drugs taken at home, routine dental care, vision care, and ambulance transport are generally not covered automatically the way doctor and hospital visits are, and may come with a cost. Coverage and assistance programs exist for many of these (see the Referrals, Tests & Prescriptions section), but the details depend on your situation. Ask your pharmacist, your provider, or HealthLine 811, or look into extra coverage through an employer, school, or private plan.

The Saskatchewan Health Card is administered by eHealth Saskatchewan. Applying is free, and it's worth doing as soon as possible after you arrive.

How to apply

• Get the application form online at ehealthsask.ca, or ask for a paper copy at a local government or settlement office.
• Gather photocopies of documents that prove: your legal entitlement to be in Canada (such as your immigration or study/work permit documents), your Saskatchewan residency, and your identity.
• Submit the completed form with your documents by mail, email, or fax, as instructed on the form.

If you're waiting for your card, ask about temporary private health insurance to bridge any gap. If you are a refugee claimant or refugee, you may be eligible for coverage through the federal Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP), which can include hospital care, provider visits, and some prescription, vision, and dental costs, until your provincial coverage begins.

Updating your information or replacing a lost card

The same process covers an address change, a change to your family unit, and a lost, stolen, or damaged card. The easiest way is online: create a Saskatchewan Account (or sign in if you have one), go to My Services, select the health card option, and follow the prompts to request the change. You can also mail in the paper Change of Information / Replacement Card form, available at ehealthsask.ca.

Family doctor or nurse practitioner

Your main point of contact for ongoing care: checkups, general concerns, prescriptions, and referrals to specialists when needed. Nurse practitioners (NPs) can assess, diagnose, treat, and prescribe, much like a family doctor. You typically need an appointment. If you don't have one yet, the Saskatchewan Health Authority maintains a list of providers accepting new patients by region, and you can join a wait list while using walk-in or urgent care in the meantime.

Pharmacist

Available at any pharmacy, no appointment needed. Pharmacists can answer questions about medications and interactions, administer many vaccines, and in some cases assess and prescribe for minor ailments. They're often the fastest healthcare professional to reach.

Public health nurse

Focuses on prevention and community health: childhood immunizations, prenatal and infant health, and public health programs. Usually reached through a community health office rather than a hospital.

Specialist

A doctor focused on one area of medicine (such as cardiology or dermatology). In Saskatchewan, seeing a specialist usually requires a referral from your family doctor or nurse practitioner.

Walk-in clinic

No appointment needed, but expect to wait your turn. Good for non-emergency issues when you don't have a regular provider or can't get in to see them soon enough: a cold, a minor infection, a prescription renewal.

Urgent care centre

For problems that are serious but not life-threatening, such as an injury that needs attention today, and don't require a full emergency department. Not every community has one; where available, it's often faster than an ED for these situations.

Emergency department (ED)

For life-threatening or very serious conditions: chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding, signs of stroke, major injuries. You'll be seen in order of medical urgency, not arrival time, so a busy waiting room doesn't mean something is wrong with the system. It means others are being treated first because their needs are more urgent.

Most clinics are booked by phone, and some also offer online booking. Walk-in clinics don't take appointments; you're seen in the order you arrive, based on availability that day.

What to bring

• Your Saskatchewan Health Card (or the number, if the physical card hasn't arrived yet)
• Photo identification
• A list of any medications you currently take
• A written list of your questions or concerns, since it's easy to forget them once you're in the room
• A support person, if you'd like one with you

Questions worth asking during your visit

• What is this condition or concern, in plain language?
• What are the next steps, and who will follow up with me?
• Do I need a referral, a test, or a prescription?
• When and how will I get my results?
• What should I do if things don't improve, or get worse?

Referrals

A referral is when your family doctor or nurse practitioner sends you to see a specialist. Most specialists in Saskatchewan require one. How long it takes to be seen depends on how urgent your situation is and how available that specialist is; it can range from days to months. If your symptoms change or worsen while you wait, contact your provider or HealthLine 811.

Lab tests and imaging

Blood work, X-rays, ultrasounds, and similar tests are ordered by your provider and usually done at a lab or hospital. Results are generally sent back to the provider who ordered them. Ask when and how you'll find out your results, since it isn't always automatic.

Prescriptions

Prescriptions are filled at a pharmacy. Ask your pharmacist about generic alternatives, which often cost less than brand-name drugs. If cost is a concern, Saskatchewan's Special Support Program provides income-tested assistance with prescription drug costs. Ask a pharmacist how to apply, or contact the Drug Plan Branch directly.

Mental health and addictions support

HealthLine 811 offers mental health and addictions advice and can connect you to local services. For a crisis or thoughts of suicide, call or text 988, free and available 24/7 in French and English. Community mental health clinics also provide ongoing support. Ask your provider or 811 to find one near you.

Pharmacy services

Beyond filling prescriptions, pharmacies commonly offer vaccinations, medication reviews, and assessment for minor ailments. It's often the quickest place to get a health question answered without an appointment.

Dental care

Routine dental care is generally not covered by the health card. Ask a settlement worker or 211 Saskatchewan about low-cost or community dental clinics and any programs your family may qualify for.

Reproductive, maternal, and child health

Family doctors, nurse practitioners, and public health nurses provide prenatal care, family planning, and child health services, including routine immunizations. Public health offices run many of these programs directly.

Vaccination

Routine and travel vaccines are available through public health offices and many pharmacies. Ask about which vaccines are recommended for your family.

• Respectful care, free from discrimination based on language, culture, income, or immigration status.
• Informed consent: a clear explanation of a treatment, in your language, before you agree to it, and the right to decline or ask for more time or information.
• Interpretation and language support when you need it.
• Privacy and confidentiality of your health information.
• The right to ask questions, seek a second opinion, and access your own health records.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority aims to provide care in the language patients prefer where possible, including phone interpretation at its facilities. Mention your language preference when you register for an appointment.

The Réseau Santé en français de la Saskatchewan (RSFS) keeps a directory of health professionals in the province who speak French, so you can look for a provider you can talk to directly, without an interpreter in the middle.

RSFS also coordinates health accompaniment: a person who comes with you to a hospital appointment and helps you communicate with an English-speaking provider.

For settlement support in French, SAIF-SK (Services d'accueil et d'inclusion francophone) welcomes and accompanies French-speaking newcomers across Saskatchewan, from arrival through the practical steps of building a life here.

Ask, even when you expect the answer to be no

Most people never ask. In a Statistics Canada analysis published in 2026, using 2022 survey data, half of the French-speaking adults outside Quebec who said care in French mattered to them rarely or never asked for it. The most common reason was an assumption rather than an experience: 43 percent believed the professional did not speak French. In most cases nobody had checked.

Asking changes the result. Among the people who did ask, always or often, 81 percent received care in French always or often. The service exists more often than people expect, and it goes unused because it is not requested.

If you only push in one place, push where the stakes are highest for you. French-speaking adults most often said language mattered with family doctors (80 percent), psychologists (79 percent), and social workers (79 percent): the appointments where being misunderstood costs the most.

A French-speaking provider does not have to be in your city. Ask whether an appointment by phone or video in French is possible, especially outside Regina and Saskatoon. Asked to choose, 28 percent of French-speaking adults outside Quebec said they would rather have a remote appointment in French than an in-person one in English.

Regina Open Door Society (RODS) is a settlement agency offering orientation for newcomers, support for newly arrived refugees, school-based settlement support for families, and general help finding your footing, including connections to transportation, housing, and food resources.

211 Saskatchewan is a free, confidential service that connects you to social, community, and non-clinical health resources across the province, including transportation assistance, food programs, and housing supports, in multiple languages.

If getting to a clinic is the hard part, the Saskatchewan Health Authority also runs Community Wellness Buses in Regina, Saskatoon, and Prince Albert: mobile clinics staffed by a nurse practitioner, a licensed practical nurse, and a mental health worker, for people who face barriers reaching care in a regular clinic. Check the Saskatchewan Health Authority website for the current schedule and stops.

Health card / Carte-santé

The card that proves you're covered under Saskatchewan's public healthcare system.

Referral / Aiguillage / référence

When your regular provider sends you to see a specialist.

Family doctor / Médecin de famille

Your main, ongoing healthcare provider.

Nurse practitioner / Infirmière praticienne

A nurse with advanced training who can assess, diagnose, treat, and prescribe.

Walk-in clinic / Clinique sans rendez-vous

A clinic for non-emergency care with no appointment needed.

Emergency department / Service des urgences

Hospital care for life-threatening or very serious conditions.

Prescription / Ordonnance

A provider's written authorization for medication.

Specialist / Spécialiste

A doctor focused on one area of medicine.

Interpretation services / Services d'interprétation

Support to communicate with your provider in your preferred language.

Informed consent / Consentement éclairé

Agreeing to a treatment only after understanding what it involves, in your own language.

Public health nurse / Infirmière en santé publique

A nurse focused on prevention, immunization, and community health.

Coverage / Couverture

What your health card or insurance plan pays for.

Emergency & health advice

Health card & coverage

French-language care

Someone to come with you

You do not have to attend a difficult appointment alone. These services can arrange for someone to interpret or accompany you.

Settlement & community support