The province says it is halfway to its goal of hiring 1,000 net new health-care workers.
“Manitobans told us clearly they want more nurses, doctors and health-care professionals working in our province,” said Wab Kinew at a press conference at Grace Hospital on Thursday. “We made an ambitious promise to add 1,000 net new people into our system and today we’re proud to say we’re more than halfway to that goal.”
873 net new health-care workers have been added between April 1 and Aug. 31 including, 116 physicians, 304 nurses, 290 health-care aides and 87 allied health.
“We’ve left no stone unturned when it comes to adding more staff into the system and we’re going to keep going so we can start to turn the corner on some of the most important priorities in health care, said Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara.”To every person who decided to pursue a career in health care, or came back to the system, thank you.”
The province has seen staff come into the system across Manitoba, with increases in staffing in every region and at CancerCare Manitoba.
Kinew says the government has taken several steps to improve the health-care system for workers, including letters to every new graduate, holding five listening tour town halls and working to hire every new graduate into the system, improving safety measures for staff at major hospitals and increasing seats in training programs for medicine, physician assistants, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and nursing.
Kinew is one year into his first term and six months into its first provincial budget.