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The Manitoba government has directed Prairie Mountain Health leadership to reduce spending on for-profit nursing agencies by 15% by March 2026.
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This directive is part of a broader effort to refocus funding on nurses within the public health system, Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced Wednesday.
“Prairie Mountain Health has consistently been dealt a bad hand,” said Asagwara. “Alongside the challenges in the area, the previous government gave the region little to no support resulting in millions overspent on private nursing agencies. Enough is enough. It’s time to put a hard stop on private for-profit nursing agency over-spending and re-invest in the public system. Our government is committed to working with all health regions to bring nurses back into the public system.”
The directive comes as part of the Manitoba government’s broader strategy to invest in publicly funded health care and attract nurses to the public system. The government also recently issued a request for proposals (RFP) to reduce the number of contracted for-profit agencies and negotiate better pricing, ensuring the majority of health-care funding goes to public front-line workers and patients. The RFP has closed, and proposals are now under review.
Historically, Manitoba has held contracts with more than 70 private for-profit agencies, but with few policies in place to limit their impact on the public system or control the rates they charge. The government aims to address these issues.
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