Health care remains in crisis

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This article was published 04/01/2022 (514 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Happy new year!

I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful holiday season. Although this year’s celebrations weren’t what we had hoped for, I hope we all were still able to connect, one way or another, with the ones we love.

I am pleased to see that many people in St. Vital have received and are making appointments to receive their booster shots. The vaccine booster is a critical tool to keep yourself, your family, and our community safe as the pandemic continues. In the next few days, I will be getting my booster shot. If you still need to book your vaccine appointment, please do so online using the vaccine finder or by phoning the vaccine call centre at 1-844-626-8222. Contact my office if you need assistance with booking a vaccine appointment.

However, as we all step up time and time again, making the commitments and sacrifices necessary to keep our communities safe, the Stefanson government has failed to do the same — following in Brian Pallister’s footsteps.

We are now in the fourth wave of this COVID-19 pandemic, and the Progressive Conservative government is still unprepared to respond, with many in St. Vital continuing to experience difficulties in the health-care system.

The nursing shortage has reached unprecedented levels in Manitoba, with more than 2,200 vacancies across the province. Doctors Manitoba estimates that our surgical and diagnostic backlog has grown to over 150,000 procedures. Manitobans have died while awaiting surgery and many are living with chronic conditions that greatly limit their mobility and quality of life.

Over the last five years, the PC government has closed health-care facilities and services, including the Quickcare Clinic we had right here in St. Vital. They have made substantive cuts to critical services like the pre-pandemic intensive-care unit capacity. They even continued with cuts in the 2021 budget, in the middle of a pandemic, to acute care services in our hospitals. This has brought our hospitals to a breaking point.

The Stefanson government refused to address the staffing crisis and surgical backlog between waves, and without the crucial staff needed, is unable to adequately scale up ICU capacity. Our critical care system should not be so vulnerable that we have to call in the Red Cross or military, or airlift critically ill patients to other provinces. Unfortunately, that’s where the Pallister-Stefanson governments have put us.

My NDP colleagues and I will continue to call on Premier Stefanson to show some leadership, listen to those on the frontlines and make the necessary investments in our healthcare system immediately.

As always, please contact me by email at jamie.moses@yourmanitoba.ca or by phone at 204-219-5407. Stay safe.

Jamie Moses
St. Vital constituency report

Jamie Moses is the NDP MLA for St. Vital.

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