In 1948, Northern Saskatchewan was integrated into the provincial hospital plan. Initially, inhabitants of Northern Saskatchewan were excluded from the provincial hospitalization plan - this was due to the lack of public medical facilities in the North and a lack of administrative structure through which hospitalization premiums could be collected. By 1950, the province had established a subsidized air ambulance service as well as constructed four outpost hospitals in strategically located centers.
"Hospitalization for the North". Saskatchewan Commonwealth. 10 December 1947.; Helen Buckley, "Trapping and Fishing in the Economy of Northern Saskatchewan," Report No.3, Economic and Social Survey of Northern Saskatchewan, Research Division, Centre for Community Studies, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, 1962, p.45;