NDP calls for investment in nursing

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This article was published 06/10/2022 (1231 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The state of nursing in Westman was shoved into the spotlight in the Manitoba legislature Wednesday when the NDP accused the Progressive Conservatives of making cuts that have created a nursing “crisis” here.

NDP Leader Wab Kinew called on the government to stop cuts and invest in nurses to address the problem in the Westman and Parkland regions.

“In Westman, we see just how bad the situation is,” Kinew told the legislature, listing communities with severe shortages.

Kinew pointed to Roblin, which he said has a 40 per cent nurse vacancy; Reston with 40 per cent; and Killarney with a vacancy rate of more than 52 per cent. At Brandon Regional Health Centre, 18 per cent of nursing positions are open, he added.

“We know we need more nurses in the Westman,” Kinew said. “We need more nurses in Reston, in Dauphin and Grandview and, yes, in Brandon as well. Will the premier stop the cuts and start to invest in nurses in the Prairie Mountain Health region and across Manitoba?”

Statistics provided by the NDP Wednesday afternoon show that Kinew was referring to Prairie Mountain data that states 74 out of 409 registered nurse positions at the Brandon hospital were vacant as of July 31. In Reston, two of five positions were empty, and six of 15 spots in Roblin.

In the legislature, Premier Heather Stefanson countered that the government is investing in nurses, referring to an announcement made in July 2021 that stated the province would boost the number of nursing seats at post-secondary schools by 400 over the following few years. That would add to 800 nursing seats that were already offered at six post-secondary institutions in the province.

That announcement also pledged financial and other supports for internationally educated nurses who wish to be licensed here.

“Madam Speaker, the leader of the Opposition knows that we have announced, and we are moving on, 400 new seats, nursing seats, in the province of Manitoba,” Stefanson said.

NDP health critic Uzoma Asagwara then rose to say the use of private agency nurses has accelerated under the current government.

Asagwara cited freedom of information data, which it provided to the Sun, that shows the Southern Health region spent $3.4 million on private agency nurses in the last six months, while Prairie Mountain Health spent $10 million between Feb. 1 and June 30.

“What is the minister doing to address the growing over-reliance on for-profit private agencies?” Asagwara asked, projecting that Prairie Mountain was on track to spend $24 million on agency nurses this year.

The NDP had previously provided the Sun with data that showed the health authority had also spent about $24 million on private agency nurses from January 2019 to May 2021.

The party has maintained that the use of private nurses undermines public health care. Their use leads to a lack of continuity of care when compared to permanent staff, the NDP has argued. The party has also called for better working conditions for nurses, including the end of mandatory overtime.

Responding to Asagwara, Health Minister Audrey Gordon told the legislature Wednesday that $19.5 million has been spent to add 259 nursing seats at post-secondary institutions so far, and the government is on track to meet its target of 400 new seats.

Prairie Mountain Health chief executive officer Brian Schoonbaert couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

» ihitchen@brandonsun.com