As construction of the new Portage District General Hospital moves forward, there’s growing excitement in the community, but also some big questions; one of the hottest topics being the inclusion of an MRI unit.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has been vocal about the importance of healthcare in rural Manitoba and recently shared his thoughts on the new hospital.
“It's really impressive to see the progress that's being made. It's definitely something that we support. Now that we see the construction moving along for the new Portage hospital, it really underlines why we have to work on staffing. We need to make sure that there's going to be the staff on hand, healthcare aides, nurses, physicians, everybody; just to make sure that when the facility comes online, that you're going to be able to get the services that you need.”
He highlighted the strides made in improving rural healthcare during his tenure.
“I was really happy that we could reopen the Carberry emergency room this past year, bringing some more doctors into town, and bringing that emergency department back that had been closed in the past. We've hired about 870 new healthcare staffers; 873 to be specific. That's everybody - nurses, doctors, and health care aides.”
That’s where the MRI unit comes into the conversation. For many in the community, having access to this service locally is a top priority. However, according to Kinew, plans for the hospital, set in motion by the previous government, make the issue more complicated.
“It's been brought forward by people from the front lines, people from Portage la Prairie, from surrounding Rural Municipalities, and even some of the First Nations. I know that it's a priority. The challenge that we have is that when the plans were drawn up and when construction started, there was no MRI in those plans. We’re trying to take a balanced approach; we're listening to the concerns being brought forward, trying to make sure that the construction stays on track, and make sure we can do the hiring for the new facility.”
Despite the hurdles, the Premier is confident that the new hospital will be a game-changer for healthcare in the Portage la Prairie region.