NDP to meet health care demands of the future

Selinger commits $24 million for health care training

September 1, 2011 – Premier Greg Selinger today announced a plan to meet the health care staffing needs of the future by investing in training. The plan begins with a commitment to invest an additional $24 million over the next 4 years to train and educate more doctors, nurses, paramedics, technologists and other front-line health care staff.

As Manitoba’s population expands, the number of seniors grows, and thousands of health-care professionals retire, more doctors, nurses, paramedics and other staff must be trained to keep wait times low and health care accessible. Recent investments in cutting-edge technology will also increase the need for trained professionals.

“We are building a health-care system that offers patients more choice and better access,” Selinger noted. “For example, paramedics are a highly skilled profession playing an important role both inside and outside of ambulances. Nurse practitioners are offering more convenient care to families by working with doctors’ offices and ERs as well as offering care to patients with chronic conditions. The expanding roles played by these and other skilled professionals are making health care better – but this also requires more training.”

“We have worked hard to repair the damage done to health care by the PCs in the 1990s, when they fired front line workers, privatized services and cut training. These cuts took years to overcome. We know that it’s not just a matter of hiring more health care professionals – they have to be trained first,” Selinger said. “Our task now is to prepare for the future as baby boomers age and large numbers of health care professionals retire. This plan will put us ahead the curve so that Manitobans will have access to front-line health-care workers when they need it, where they need it.”

PC leader Hugh McFadyen has repeatedly proposed cuts to health care. For example, the PC plan to cap health spending would have meant a cut of $756 million out of this year’s health budget alone – the equivalent of 9,000 fewer nurses since 1999.

Two days ago McFadyen tried to make us believe that he won’t repeat the mistakes of the past. One day later, he released an economic plan that includes no new money for health.

“Health care is a priority for Manitoba families. Keeping the system strong is our priority too. If we are to prevent a staffing crisis in health care, we can’t turn back to the disastrous policies of the 1990s. We need to build for the future by training for the future,” Selinger concluded.