New data from Manitoba’s nursing colleges shows that Manitoba saw a net increase of 494 more nurses over the last year, Health Minister Theresa Oswald announced.
“In 2007, our government made a commitment to Manitoba families to add 700 nurses over four years and together with our partners in education and the health-care system we’ve more than doubled those numbers,” said Oswald. “Manitobans want to see investments in health care that their families can count on and we are making those investments.”
The minister noted this year’s net gain of 494 nurses is nearly identical to last year’s record-breaking net gain of 498 nurses. At the end of 2010, there were 17,118 active practising nurses in Manitoba, which reflects a total net increase of 3,026 nurses from 1999.
The province is also providing a 70 per cent increase in funding to the Nurses Recruitment and Retention Fund for a total of $3.7 million this year, the minister said, adding this funding level will be permanent to ensure a stable funding source for the program for years to come.
“We want to make sure permanent resources are in place to support the recruitment and retention of nurses to meet the needs of patients and their families across the province,” said Oswald. “The fund is an important tool that helps attract nurses to Manitoba and encourages Manitoba graduates to consider working in rural and northern communities, further strengthening health care in all regions of the province.”
The new numbers are included in the new Manitoba Nursing Labour Market Supply report including a breakdown of active practising Manitoba nurses, training data, information on recruitment initiatives and an update on total funded, filled and vacant positions. The report is available at www.manitoba.ca/health/nurses.
