Hohne has plans for health care

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This article was published 26/08/2019 (2554 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bernd Hohne was diagnosed with colon cancer around six years ago.

Throughout chemotherapy and other treatments, he has first hand experience with the medical system in Manitoba.

He believes that Manitobans can do better.

Hohne said he’s spoken with a lot of front line nurses, and said cuts to the health care system are putting a lot of pressure on health care workers.

“I believe the government is not filling these positions. It’s putting great stress on the people in the front lines, they just don’t have the amount of nurses they need to fill shifts,” Hohne said. “We need to put some decision-making back in the hands of hospitals, they know what we need best.”

Hohne got into politics by volunteering for the Liberals in the early 2000s. He went from knocking on doors to becoming the Liberal Party president around six years ago. He stepped down when he was diagnosed with cancer. He said that through surviving cancer, he’s gained a unique insight into the health care system.

When he’s not campaigning for the Liberals, he works as a machinist, working in manufacturing. He’s been married to his wife, Tanis, since 1986, and they have two daughters together. One daughter is a psychiatric nurse.

Hohne said the pressure on the health care system has led to nurses burning out.

“Burnout is the biggest problem right now. For many years, the funding has been stagnant, everything from front line nursing to psychiatric nursing, only a negligible amount of money has been put in,” Hohne said. “Health care professionals just weren’t consulted. That’s where it’s at. If they would have been consulted, things might have been different.”

Hohne is campaigning in St. James for the Manitoba Liberal Party