At the third stop of the Manitoba government’s health-care listening tour, Premier Wab Kinew, Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara and Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith met with rural health-care workers at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre to hear their experiences on the front lines.
“Fixing health care has to start with resetting the relationship with front-line health-care workers including those that deliver care in rural settings,” said Kinew. “Our government promised to listen and we’re delivering on that promise. We heard the frustration workers feel after years of cuts and chaos but we also heard creative solutions to the challenges facing the front lines. We are working every day to step up and match the commitment of the front line in health-care.”
Earlier today, the premier and ministers noted they joined a well-attended event with dozens of health-care professionals including nurses, physicians and health-care aides from Selkirk and surrounding communities to hear their stories about working in rural health care.
“What we saw in Selkirk was a fierce dedication to providing quality care,” said Asagwara. “It was an honour to listen to the folks who are at the bedside, working hard every day to provide care and comfort to members of their community. The concerns and creative solutions we heard today will directly inform how we improve health care. Together we can bring care closer to home for more folks in rural Manitoba.”
The listening tour will continue over the next several months with stops throughout the province including:
- Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg,
- Victoria General Hospital,
- Brandon Regional Health Centre,
- Bethesda Regional Health Centre, and
- Thompson General Hospital.
Manitoba health-care workers can also share their experiences and suggestions on how to improve Manitoba’s health-care system at engagemb.ca.
