Manitoba Health Minister Audrey Gordon announced today (May 4) the province has recruited nearly 900 new health-care workers towards its goal of adding 2,000 more health-care providers to the health-care system.
In a media release Gordon said “The Manitoba government is pleased to announce substantial hiring increases across health-care provider groups including health-care aides, allied-health providers, nurses and physicians, and we know there is more work to do. We will continue to work with all levels of health care from leadership to front-line workers to improve the health-care system for those employed within it and for all Manitobans.”
Recently hired staff include 82 allied-health providers, 32 physician and clinical assistants, 438 health-care aides, 259 nurses and 73 physicians, the minister noted.
The Manitoba government continues to work with provincial post-secondary institutions to expand access to programs that will help address long-term capacity demands, the minister added. In addition, work with regulatory bodies such as the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba on newcomer integration and recruitment initiatives for internationally educated nurses and doctors is also helping to steadily grow the workforce.
“A healthy workforce is the most important factor in building a stronger health-care system that is able to meet the needs of all Manitobans,” said Lanette Siragusa, chief executive officer, Shared Health. “Ensuring that our staff and teams, in all health professions, feel supported and valued is the rationale behind many of the initiatives already in place through the Health Human Resource Action Plan.”
The minister also noted other progress has been made on the Health Human Resource Action Plan since it was announced in November 2022. To date, 12 initiatives from the $200-million initiative have been implemented to support retention, training and recruitment including:
– 11,600 weekend super premiums;
– 8,747 wellness bonuses;
– 11,562 licensure reimbursements; and
– 810 extended-hour premiums for physicians.
Through the Health Human Resource Action Plan, the Manitoba government is building vital capacity to support the health-care workforce now and build a stronger health-care system for the future, the minister said.
More information about the Health Human Resource Action Plan is now available at http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/hhrap
