Selinger vows $24M to add docs, nurses

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This article was published 02/09/2011 (5393 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The NDP promised to invest an extra $24 million over the next four years to train more doctors, nurses, paramedics and technologists in Manitoba.

The money would also be used to upgrade the skills of existing health-care staff, Premier Greg Selinger said Thursday.

He said the additional medical training dollars are needed to help the medical system cope with an aging population and to minimize patient waiting times. Funds will also be required to train staff to use new cutting-edge equipment, he said.

“The training is critical because it allows you to think ahead four or five years. Here’s what we’re going to need four years, five years from now. Let’s put the money into the training and make sure we have the people available to do it,” the premier said.

Some of the new money will be used to provide advanced training to paramedics so they can perform more procedures in the field before transporting patients to hospital.

Nurses in personal-care homes will be given additional training in how to deal with patients with dementia. And nurse practitioners will receive training to meet their expanding roles in doctors’ offices and emergency rooms as well as in caring for patients with chronic conditions.

— Larry Kusch