Manitoba NDP commit $500M over 4 years to address health-care recruitment

Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew announced a health-care recruitment plan Sunday that aims to hire hundreds of nurses and physicians and other health-care staff, if the party is elected this fall.

"The staffing crisis in health care is the defining issue in the health system today. It will be the biggest challenge for Manitoba's next government," he said at a press conference at the University of Winnipeg.

Kinew was introduced by his wife, Dr. Lisa Monkman, who told the crowd Kinew was listening to workers struggling with the health-care staffing crisis, and he cares about them.

Kinew promised to hire 300 nurses in two years in Winnipeg, and made an equivalent commitment for hiring northern and rural Manitoba nurses within his first term in government. He also promised to hire 400 physicians in five years.

Kinew also committed to hiring more rural Manitoba paramedics and home care staff.

Five-hundred million dollars is earmarked for the plan, which will roll out over four years, Kinew said.

When asked to comment on Kinew's announcement Manitoba PC Radisson candidate James Teitsma said the NDP voted against its $400 million plan to retain, train and recruit 2,000 more health-care professionals.

"Health care didn't break overnight, and we know it won't be fixed overnight. Labour shortages are being felt across the country - but our system is healing," Teitsma said in a statement.

Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said the NDP's recruitment plan lacks details.

"The NDP are offering the bare minimum to fix a system that desperately needs investment. Where is the "How" to explain how they will get any of this done? The devil's in the details, and the NDP aren't offering anything different," Lamont's statement said.

Retaining nurses 'paramount': nurses' union

Professor at the University of Manitoba and physician in Manitoba Dr. Eric Jacobsohn said the voices of health-care workers have been stifled and that recruiting and retaining workers comes down to caring for staff.

"When you feel that people who you work for care about you, you step up to the nth degree," he said after the news conference.

Darlene Jackson, president of Manitoba Nurses Union, also attended the event and said she was happy to hear about the NDP's focus on recruitment and retention.

"Retaining nurses is absolutely paramount and recruiting nurses into a broken system and not being able to retain them is a total waste of money," she said.

The provincial election is set for Oct. 3.