Health workers have welcomed the state government's plan to prioritize health care in the next budget.
On Thursday, Finance Minister Adrian Sala took part in the pre-Budget tradition of unpacking new shoes. But rather than keep the shoes for herself, Sarah distributed new shoes to several health-care workers at Winnipeg's Victoria Hospital.
He told reporters the purpose of the first budget is to improve health care and make Manitoba more affordable.
“For too long, Manitoba health-care workers have not been given the respect they deserve,” Sarah said. “Today is about honoring them because we know how important a role they play in providing health care to Manitoba.”
Darlene Jackson, president of the Manitoba Nursing Union, said in an interview with CTV News that she is “very pleased” as Manitoba continues to deal with a severe nursing shortage.
“I hope this budget is really maintenance-oriented,” she said. “Because health care has kind of been torn apart over the last eight years. So I really hope this is a budget where we talk about building it and making it stronger.”
Jackson said staffing shortages must be prioritized to provide patient care.
“It's great to free up beds, it's great to free up surgeries and things like that. But we can't do it if we don't have the staff to do it,” she said. .
The Manitoba Association of Health Professionals (MAHP) said it was pleased to see health care be a focus of the next budget, but its president echoed Jackson's concerns.
“(The state government) must make staffing a top priority, as promised,” Jason Linklater said.
Linklater acknowledged the state's previous efforts to address medical shortages and long wait times. But he said there aren't enough workers to operate the new equipment.
“To address that, we need to have a comprehensive human resources plan in place, and that requires significant investment,” Linklater said.
Jackson said he hopes this budget is a step in the right direction in solving the health crisis.
“It’s not going to be solved overnight,” she said. She said: “There are a lot of issues that the government needs to consider when talking about health care.”
The budget proposal will be announced on April 2nd.
– With files from CTV's Devon McKendrick
