Legislative Report

NDP Has No Plan for Health Sector Recruitment

At first glance, millions of dollars being spent on recruitment and retention of healthcare workers is just what the doctor ordered but how does anyone spend money effectively without a goal in mind. There are so many areas of healthcare than have a constant need for more money, it is important to make sure we get value for the money spent.

For years front line workers have been telling the NDP that more healthcare providers were needed. The strain on existing workers was too much and the result of these shortages would not create damage to the workers and ultimately leave patients at risk.

We know this problem exists to varying degrees all across North America and other provinces have spent the last few years aggressively working on this issue. Manitoba, for example, graduates almost 700 nurses a year, that’s more than double the number in Saskatchewan. There is an urgent need for action since we already have 250 vacancies and 1800 more nurses plan to retire within the next two years.

Year after year, we have been bringing this issue forward in the house and I know people throughout Saskatchewan are asking why it has taken the NDP so long to concede that more needs to be done to fix this shortfall. We need what we never get from this government and that is a plan. A plan for permanent positions for nurses, a plan for retaining doctors and a plan for holding on to our own graduates and attracting the others we need. Our friends and our loved ones deserve better.

Past Legislative Reports