Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara says the government is prioritizing rural recruitment, training and partnerships to improve access to care in rural communities. This comment was made in the midst of their listening tour, visiting various health-care facilities across the province.
Commitment to rural Manitoba
Asagwara acknowledges that some rural Manitobans may feel neglected by the provincial government, but says their administration is committed to ensuring all Manitobans have access to care close to home.
"It is so important that we don’t just say that, but we action it," they say. "That’s why we have been out in rural Manitoba listening to communities. That’s why we meet with AMM (Association of Manitoba Municipalities) to talk about how we can work together to strengthen health-care in rural Manitoba. That’s why we restored cuts made by the previous government to services in health-care in rural Manitoba, and why we are actively working with municipalities to develop partnerships to make sure we are taking the right approach meet the needs of rural Manitobans."
Asagwara says some of the best health-care teams they have seen are in rural Manitoba, where professionals provide care in close-knit communities.
"They approach health care in really creative, innovative and compassionate ways," they say. "I actually think there’s a lot that we can and should learn from the ways in which care is provided in rural Manitoba."
Training and retaining local health-care workers
One of the province's strategies to address rural staffing shortages is to train local people for health-care careers.
"We know that when you do the work of training people in rural communities, they are more likely to stay and serve in those communities," Asagwara says. "There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. We need to make sure that we are listening to communities and taking unique approaches to meet their unique needs."
The minister says the government is looking at expanding training programs across Manitoba, including Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) training in rural areas, rural paramedicine programs and health-care aid programs. They are also looking to create more opportunities for youth to gain experience in the field.
“We know that we have to engage folks much younger, we’re talking middle school and high school, we have to start having conversations with young people about the opportunities in health-care and introducing them to the pathways to have a career in health-care.”
Asagwara believes there is value in having a “grow your own” approach to train people in their own community to become health-care providers to serve their home community.
"We would love for high school students to get jobs in health care so that they can get comfortable in those environments early," Asagwara says. "We are, as a government, committed to enhancing training opportunities in rural communities, so that we’re bringing education and training to them and eliminating barriers like costs and the need to leave their community for education."
The province has also established a recruitment and retention office to centralize efforts and work directly with municipalities, regional health authorities and communities to develop training initiatives.
National health-care challenges
Asagwara was recently in Halifax, attending meetings with other health ministers across Canada and says much of the country is facing similar health-care challenges.
"Everywhere, there is the challenge of staffing. Every jurisdiction is struggling with getting more people and having enough people on the front line," they report. "Everywhere, folks are struggling with the challenge of wait times. But I say this proudly wherever I go, that we have the best health-care workers right here in Manitoba.”
However, Asagwara says Manitoba has a strong health-care workforce that is diverse, compassionate and committed to Manitobans.
"We just want more folks to see what a wonderful opportunity it is to be a health-care worker in Manitoba and to join the health-care team," they say.