Manitoba announces funding to add nursing spots at post-secondary schools

The Manitoba government is promising $19.5 million to help provincial post-secondary schools add hundreds of new nurse training seats over the next several years.

The funding announcement came Wednesday, days after Manitoba urgently asked Ottawa to send up to 30 ICU nurses to help deal with a provincial health system stretched thin by COVID-19.

“I want to recognize and commend the incredible contribution of nurses working in our hospitals, personal care homes and community home-care services across our province,” said Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson, in a government release.

“We know this pandemic has put an enormous strain on our nurses and our health-care system.

3:48 COVID-19: Omicron variant cases expected to increase in Manitoba, Dr. Roussin says

“Our government is keen to work closely and collaboratively with our post-secondary institutions to expand nursing education seats across the province to ensure Manitoba has a strong nursing workforce now and well into the future.”

The province says the money will be used to add 259 nurse training seats at five post-secondary schools. There are more than 800 nursing seats currently offered at six publicly-funded post-secondary institutions across the province, officials said Wednesday.

According to the province the 259-seat expansion is scheduled to begin this year, with each school finalizing its own specific details.

It’s part of a wider plan to add nearly 400 seats over the next several years. The province announced 37 additional nursing seats at University College of the North Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the federal government has yet to say whether or not it will be able to send extra nursing staff to help Manitoba deal with its current health crisis.

Doctors in Manitoba have been warning that a shortage of hospital staff  — combined with rising COVID-19 hospitalizations — are pushing Manitoba’s health-care system to the brink.

2:19 Manitoba ICU doctor pens open letter aimed at repairing ‘failing’ critical care services

In an open letter written to government over the weekend, a group of 10 provincial doctors called on the province to make several immediate changes, including asking Ottawa to send in Canadian Forces ICU health workers to help maintain current ICU capacity.

Manitoba has had to cancel many surgeries and diagnostic tests throughout the pandemic so staff can be transferred to help with intensive care.

Doctors Manitoba, which represents more than 4,000 physicians across the province, has warned that the surgical and diagnostic backlog has now grown to more than 152,000 cases.

Last spring, dozens of patients were flown to other provinces to free up ICU beds. It’s something officials have said may have to happen again amid the current health-care crunch.

— with files from The Canadian Press

Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.

For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, visit our coronavirus page.