The Manitoba government is investing more than $358 million in capital projects to ensure Manitobans have safe and reliable care at health-care facilities for years to come, Active Living Minister Cameron Friesen announced Tuesday in a news release.
“Our government is undertaking the most significant transformation to the Manitoba health-care system in 40 years,” Friesen said.
“These investments continue with that generational change, creating an impact that will not just be felt today, but decades from now.”
Each year, the regional health authorities, CancerCare and Shared Health and the Addictions Foundation, submit requests for safety and security projects at sites across the province. This year, the province is providing more than $17.4 million for 85 projects expected to cost less than $500,000 each.
The breakdown of the funding is:
• $280 million for safety upgrades to personal care homes
• $46 million for digital health initiatives
• $32 million for equipment and infrastructure upgrades at health-care facilities.
The safety and capital upgrades at personal care homes are intended to build on the government’s commitment to ensure health-care facilities are in line with revised Manitoba Fire Code requirements and enhancements to better protect residents, staff and the public.
The eHealth initiatives will include upgrading the provincial electronic health record system, eChart, as well as various other projects such as replacing voice recognition systems used for dictation and transcription and upgrading critical hardware and software used across the health-care system.
More than 150 pieces of equipment will be purchased and installed including equipment for microbiology and virology, gastroscopes, endoscopes and many others.
In addition, $15.3 million in funding will go to replacing equipment in each of the regional health authorities and for diagnostic services provided through Shared Health Manitoba.
Specific cost estimates are not being released, as they are subject to the tendering process, the minister said.
He added the construction work will begin once the projects are publicly tendered and a contract awarded.
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