Desperate times call for questionable health-system numbers Limping Stefanson government heralds ‘significant progress’ in hiring, refuses to prove it By: Tom Brodbeck Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Friday, May. 5, 2023 Last Modified: 7:18 PM CDT Friday, May. 5, 2023 Updates

Opinion

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This article was published 05/05/2023 (855 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When government announces that it has hired hundreds of new health-care workers over the past five months, but won’t say where those new employees are working, it raises serious questions about the veracity of the information.

The province issued a news release Thursday claiming nearly 900 health-care staff have been hired since November. Health Minister Audrey Gordon is quoted as saying it marks “significant progress” toward the Manitoba government’s goal of adding 2,000 more front-line professionals to the system.

However, the province would not provide data to show where those new staff are employed, or how many have resigned or retired over the past five months.

A Free Press request for that breakdown, by health-care facility, of where the new staff are working was refused. No reason was given to explain why those details would not be shared. Instead, a government spokesperson provided a statement that had nothing to do with the question asked.

“Every individual health provider determines their own career path — the province can’t and won’t dictate where they work, but incentives and opportunities are being created to support deployment of the health workforce where they’re needed most,” the statement said.

“Every individual health provider determines their own career path — the province can’t and won’t dictate where they work, but incentives and opportunities are being created to support deployment of the health workforce where they’re needed most.”–Spokesperson

No one asked whether the province was “dictating” where staff worked. The question was where are the nearly 900 new staff employed? It’s an important question because many hospitals are severely short-staffed and cannot provide patients with acceptable levels of care. The public deserves to know where, or if, there’s been a net increase in staffing at their local health-care facility.

When hospitals in Winnipeg request new hires, they must obtain clearance from the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, even when replacing outgoing employees. That means information about new hires, including where they’re employed, is available through a central source. If the figure of nearly 900 new staff is accurate, it would be based on information received from regional health authorities. The breakdown would be readily available through those agencies.

Premier Heather Stefanson’s government says the province has hired 82 allied-health providers, 32 physician and clinical assistants, 438 health-care aides, 259 nurses and 73 physicians since November. The fact it won’t say where those staff are working makes it difficult to believe the numbers are legitimate.

The province would also not say how many of the nearly 900 were net additions to the health system. Government says it doesn’t have a centralized human resources system to track attrition (even with all the layers of bureaucracy running health care). However, it also claims there’s been a net increase in staffing.

“The data the province has right now suggests an overall increase in providers continuing in their roles and trending in the right direction,” the email statement says.

How would they know there’s an overall increase if they claim they can’t track attrition? If they have data that “suggests” an overall increase in staffing, why don’t they release it?

How would they know there’s an overall increase if they claim they can’t track attrition? If they have data that “suggests” an overall increase in staffing, why don’t they release it?

The stated objective of the province’s so-called health human resources action plan is to “add” 2,000 more staff to hospitals and health facilities. If officials don’t know where new staff are hired or how many have resigned or retired, how could they know how many net new health-care employees they have?

When asked earlier this year if the number of new staff hired under the province’s human resources action plan is a net increase, Stefanson confirmed it was. How could she know that if the province doesn’t have a centralized system to track attrition?

Is the premier making this stuff up? It’s difficult to believe otherwise when the province does not provide basic information about new hires, where they are working and how many staff have left. The level of incompetence is staggering.

The Progressive Conservatives are facing almost certain defeat in the upcoming provincial election, scheduled for Oct. 3. The time-for-a-change dynamic has been so strong for so long, particularly in Winnipeg, government has virtually no chance of survival.

When that happens, outgoing governments get desperate and tend to do or say almost anything to retain power. That’s likely what was behind Thursday’s announcement.

The same thing happened two weeks ago when the province’s diagnostic and surgical task force claimed it has reduced COVID-19 pandemic backlogs by just over 30 per cent. Government did not provide details to support the claim. It just wants the public’s trust.

That trust is running thin.

tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca

Tom Brodbeck
Columnist

Tom Brodbeck is an award-winning author and columnist with over 30 years experience in print media. He joined the Free Press in 2019. Born and raised in Montreal, Tom graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and commerce. Read more about Tom.

Tom provides commentary and analysis on political and related issues at the municipal, provincial and federal level. His columns are built on research and coverage of local events. The Free Press’s editing team reviews Tom’s columns before they are posted online or published in print – part of the Free Press’s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.