According to the Manitoba NDP party, the PC government has spent over $5 million on privately-employed nurses to address chronic shortages at the Dauphin Health Centre over the past three years.
NDP Leader Wab Kinew says Dauphin families need a fully-staffed healthcare centre with the quality care they can rely on.
“The common-sense thing to do would be to hire nurses to work in Dauphin because it’s clear that that’s needed. $5 million being spent on these private nurses shows you that there aren’t enough nurses to work here in Dauphin to look after the patients both from in town but from the surrounding area too.”
Kinew says more and more nurses are leaving the community because the PC government keeps fighting with the nurses.
“That’s $5 million that could have created some good jobs for people who live here in town, and they could stay here and spend the money at local restaurants and stuff like that. But instead, that money’s gonna leave town most likely, because it’s going to people who are only here temporarily.”
Kinew adds that during this time period, Manitoba nurses have been subjected to unfair wage freezes, denied quality PPE, and forced to work mandatory overtime to make up for PC cuts. Because of this, nurses organized a strike vote in the middle of the pandemic.
