The Manitoba government says it’s giving a boost to the province’s health-care system by bringing in more than 300 internationally educated professional workers to fill vacant positions.
Health minister Audrey Gordon said Tuesday that almost 90 per cent of the 348 candidates offered positions during the province’s recent recruitment mission to the Philippines have accepted the gigs.
“It is so gratifying to see such a high acceptance rate,” Gordon said.
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“But it’s also humbling to know these health professionals will be making incredible contributions to our health system and to Manitobans for years to come. Now all the health regions in the province will benefit from this mission.”
The province said the candidates who have accepted offers have already begun the immigration and licensing process, and will be meeting with University of Manitoba assessors in early July in Manila for clinical competency assessments.
Gordon said Manitoba is leading the country in providing a streamlined process for international health workers to come to Canada.
Although the job offers have been accepted, there is still plenty of work to be done, according to Ken Borce of CancerCare Manitoba, who was part of the province’s recruitment delegation to Manila and two other Filipino cities in February.
“Our job now is to support these candidates as they complete the remaining requirements and prepare to make the move to Manitoba,” said Borce, himself an immigrant from the Philippines.
“For each candidate who accepted, this job offer is life-changing — and one that is going to require dedication and hard work as they complete the necessary steps for licensing and immigration.”
Borce said those offered positions were categorized into three streams: registered nurses; licensed practical nurses; and health-care aides. Some of the new staff could arrive as soon as this summer.