January 10, 2024
“We were very pleased with Minister Asagwara’s announcement of 36 new beds at St. Boniface Hospital — beds which are desperately needed to alleviate system pressure and halt skyrocketing ER wait times,” said Jason Linklater, President, MAHCP. “Specialized allied health professionals and going to be critical in getting these new beds up and running. The reality is that there simply aren’t enough of them now to staff existing beds.
We’re continuing to call on the Province of Manitoba to consider the impact of a bed expansion on the safety and well-being of patients, health care professionals and the system, and to address critical vacancies in the allied health professions NOW.
“They must build on their recent investments in social workers, physiotherapists and occupational therapists by filling vacancies and recruiting more respiratory therapists, X-ray and lab technologists, pharmacists and many other specialized health care professionals necessary to expand capacity.”
Allied health professionals are essential to assessments, diagnostics, treatments and therapies, and to the delivery of whole-person, high quality care.
“Our members are the solution to many of our most pressing health care system challenges, and MAHCP will continue to work with government to solve these problems.”