Political leaders share prescriptions for health-care in town hall with Manitoba doctors

Manitoba's three most popular political leaders laid out their health-care plans in front of an audience of doctors.

NDP Leader Wab Kinew made vague new promises about more personal care homes and additional beds at Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre during the Doctors Manitoba-organized town hall, which mostly saw the leaders rehash promises and speaking points they've cited throughout the election campaign.

For the first time since the formal start of the election campaign on Sept. 5, Progressive Conservative Leader Heather Stefanson said there's room for more private services in health care. She said patients, including those needing surgery, shouldn't have to be sent outside Manitoba for care.

Private care, she said, "was expanded back under [former NDP premier] Gary Doer to Maples Surgical, Western Surgical. We would like to expand," she said.

Stefanson also reiterated the PCs would bring more physicians to the province. The PCs announced this summer Manitoba hired a recruitment firm to enlist 150 more doctors.

More beds at HSC, NDP pledges

NDP Leader Wab Kinew announced that a government under his leadership would add 40 beds to Health Sciences Centre, the main trauma hospital in Winnipeg — but did not say what sort of beds.

He also committed to building more personal care homes to replace aging facilities  where multiple patients live in a single room. He offered no specifics about this pledge, either.

"One hundred per cent. I'll commit that to you," Kinew told the moderator, Richard Cloutier from CJOB.

Kinew, like Stefanson, didn't answer questions from reporters after the town hall. In the last week, Stefanson has only addressed the media in Brandon on Monday.

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Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said some major NDP commitments, such as reopening three emergency departments in Winnipeg, won't address today's challenges in the health-care system. The New Democrats have said it would take up to eight years to build the three ERs.

"Look, if I knew this was the 2031 election, I would have promised eight years from now I would have reopened an ER," he said.

Lamont said the health-care system should prioritize finding more places for patients so they don't need an ER, such as expanding clinics and urgent-care centres.

He's suggested personal care homes with nurse practitioners on staff would prevent some residents from visiting emergency departments.

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"Instead of spending tons of money on crisis care, it's about investing in preventive care to reduce the crisis costs and reduce the hurt," Lamont said.

Election day is on Oct. 3.