Meeting health-care needs here at home

Manitobans shouldn’t have to take a road trip to get life-saving health care. That’s what I’ve heard from many citizens after the Progressive Conservative government announced that some patients seeking hip, knee or spinal surgeries will have to travel to other provinces and, in some cases, across the border for treatment, far from home, family and supports.

Instead of investing in better care at the bedside here at home, the PC government is refusing to fill vacant nursing positions in Winnipeg hospitals, forcing patients — many of them seniors — to travel hours for care.

This isn’t an option for the vast majority of Manitobans. It means taking more time away from work, long and uncomfortable travel for sick patients away from family and support while recovering from major surgery.

It’s also another step in a concerning trend of undermining public health care to justify the privatization of health care services. This is something the PCs have done for years. Brian Pallister caused chaos in our health-care system by closing emergency rooms and firing nurses. It was the perfect storm for the pandemic, which threw whatever stability the healthcare system had out the window.

Public health care is an essential value in Canada. We all deserve a strong and responding health-care system. We need to invest in good nursing jobs here at home so families can get the care they need without taking a road trip. Unlike the PCs, our NDP team has a plan to invest in public health care and get more nurses and health care workers working at the bedside.

If PC cuts to health care have hurt your family, share your story with me by email at nahanni.fontaine@yourmanitoba.ca or by phone at 204-582-1550. Feel free to also stop by my office at 1763 Main St.

Nahanni Fontaine
St. Johns constituency report

Nahanni Fontaine is the NDP MLA for St. Johns.

   Read full biography