Newfoundland and Labrador's health minister outlined plans Friday to keep three gynecological oncologists from leaving the province.

Health Minister Ross Wiseman said his department has already met some of the demands the doctors made before submitting their resignations this summer.

"The requests presented by these three physicians have been taken very seriously by our government and I believe this is reflected in the substance of our response to the concerns raised," Wiseman said.

The three specialists — Lesa Dawson, Cathy Popadiuk and Patti Power —are all based in St. John's and have been expected to follow through on their resignations in December, after pushing back the date from September.

The doctors had requested additional office space and clerical support, which the government announced Friday it had approved. The doctors have also requested additional operating room time, to which the province promised the purchase of "necessary equipment for laparoscopic surgery."

Wiseman's department also promised that Eastern Health, the regional health authority, is hiring consultants to examine utilization and allocation times for its operating rooms.

However, one major concern of the three cancer doctors was not agreed to Friday by Wiseman's department. The specialists had asked for remuneration on par with other specialists in their field in the rest of Canada. Popadiuk, Dawson and Power are paid less than colleagues across the country, and significantly less than other oncologists in Newfoundland and Labrador. The three were also left out of a generous pay package awarded to medical and radiation oncologists, as well as pathologists, this spring.

Regarding the request of the doctors to receive compensation on par with those in Ontario, Wiseman's office said Friday, "Compensation will ultimately be addressed."

Popadiuk told CBC News she is optimistic the government wants to address the oncologists' concerns, but isn't sure about the details of how each promise will be met.

"It's this type of detail that doesn't appear to have been resolved and it's not just the detail, this is critical for us to be able to care for our patients. It makes it sound like it's a done deal, and it's not yet a done deal," Popadiuk said. "We needed some more direction as to tangible timelines and we haven't moved forward in that regard."