More than 4.7K health-care workers hired in Manitoba since 2023: province

Manitoba has significantly boosted its healthcare workforce, with a net gain of 4,725 healthcare workers since October 2023, the provincial government announced. The influx includes 370 physicians, 1,464 nurses, 2,152 healthcare aides, and 607 allied health professionals.

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So, you put that altogether, there are many more people working on the frontlines of our provincial health-care system.

Premier Wab Kinew highlighted the progress in staffing, noting that the additions mean more people are working on the frontlines. However, he acknowledged that challenges remain, particularly concerning wait times in emergency rooms, urgent care, surgeries, and diagnostics. Kinew emphasized that addressing these issues requires a solid staffing foundation.

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We also know that there’s a lot that needs to be done. There are still many things to do when it comes to wait times in emergency rooms and urgent cares and surgeries and diagnostics, but we also know that anything that we want to do in those areas has to start with the staffing.

The province's Health Minister, Uzoma Asagwara, stated that the new hires demonstrate Manitoba's attractiveness to healthcare professionals. She noted a record number of individuals are currently undergoing training within the province. Asagwara contrasted the current situation with past perceptions of Manitoba as a "flyover province," asserting that people are now choosing to make Manitoba their home.

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People are sicker today. And anyone on the frontlines, I’m sure, has seen this.

Dr. Ayomikun Soyombo, an emergency medicine physician who recently arrived from the United Kingdom, shared his long-held desire to work in Manitoba. He recalled a previous attempt to move in 2010 that was thwarted by a visa denial. Soyombo expressed surprise and gratitude that the opportunity arose 16 years later, and he is set to join the urgent care team at Seven Oaks and work at Grace Hospital.

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We were a flyover province. I heard that from so many people when I would go to other jurisdictions. What I hear now from folks is that they are choosing Manitoba first. They’re making Manitoba home.