The Province of Saskatchewan says it has surpassed its original goal of 25 nurse practitioners (NPs), adding 27 new permanent positions to serve rural and remote areas across the province.

The government set aside $4.5 million in this year’s budget to make sure that residents in underserved areas have better access to primary care.

Applications for these positions are being accepted until June 10.

Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with extra training, that allows them to provide many of the same services as family doctors.

In a release, the province say a number of local communities will benefit from improved NP services, including Yorkton, Fort Qu’Appelle, Balcarres, Indian Head, Esterhazy, Kamsack, Canora, Preeceville, Melville, Kelvington, Lestock, Raymore, and Hudson Bay.