Saskatchewan is off to the Philippines to hire 300 nurses.

Saskatchewan Party MLA Laura Ross and officials from five health regions and the provincial health recruitment agency are going on a hiring trip to the southeast Asian nation next week.

If they're successful, it'll take the government part of the way toward fulfilling the Saskatchewan Party's campaign promise to hire 800 more registered nurses — filling 600 vacancies and adding 200 new positions — during its first term in office.

Ross, the legislative secretary to the health minister, said hiring 300 people is an achievable goal.

Still, bringing that many nurses to Saskatchewan involves many issues, including making sure there is adequate housing, she said. Just making the move to Canada from halfway around the globe comes with its own challenges, Ross said.

"There is a certain amount of acclimatization," she said.

"That's why you know we've encouraged the community to become involved," she said.

For instance, when a dozen previously recruited nurses arrived in Regina, members of the Open Door Society were on hand to greet them, she said.

Saskatchewan Health Minister Don McMorris said the government will try to woo the nurses with competitive wages and a compensation package.

McMorris said he hopes the trip to the Philippines will help tackle what he calls the "huge problem" of the nursing shortage in Saskatchewan.

The province must also address the need for more training spaces for nurses at home, McMorris said.

With files from Canadian Press