Union raises the alarm on health care vacancies

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This article was published 28/01/2025 (422 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union members are raising the alarm about the high vacancy rates for professions, such as therapists and clinicians, in the Southern Health region and the high number of people waiting to see those experts.

“We have Manitobans waiting a long time for these services and our workers are frustrated, because they want to provide quality services in a timely fashion and they’re not getting the help they need from the government,” said MGEU president Kyle Ross.

“And they’re not getting help from the employers from bringing in people to provide these services in health care and it’s ultimately Manitobans who are suffering because of it.”

An access to information request by the union from Southern Health found that 4,428 Manitobans in the Southern Health Region are waiting for services provided by technical and professional therapists and clinicians (speech language therapy – 728; audiology – 549; occupational therapy – 1,041; physio therapy – 1,082; community mental health – 921; and dietetics – 83).

Ross said the union is hoping to see a concerted effort to provide these services and reduce wait times in order to help Manitobans recover quickly from surgeries and other medical procedures that require these services.

“Right now, we have people sitting in hospitals longer than they need to because they can’t see the proper person to see them sent home,” said Ross.

Currently, there is a 23 percent overall vacancy rate for the technical/professional group in Southern Health, including a 50 percent vacancy in respiratory therapists, 43 percent vacancy in speech language therapists, 27 percent vacancy in mental health workers, 23 percent vacancy in occupational therapist positions, and 14 percent vacancy in physiotherapist positions.

Ross said the short-term solution is investing in recruitment and retention and in the long-term is getting people in rural areas to take up these trades and work in the communities they are from.

In its written response, Southern Health said it has the largest percentage of population growth in Manitoba, which enhances service demand, but that staffing has not changed with the demand thus adding to the waitlist.

“Some of the vacancies listed include those term positions who have staff returning to them, and are not reflective of permanent vacancies,” read the statement.

To meet demand, Southern Health stated it was using triage scales for patient wait times wherein those with critical needs come first, it promotes virtual doctor visits, educational material and resources, and group sessions.

“Recruitment and retention is a challenge provincially and nationally – it is not unique to our region. Our provincial educational institutions are working hard to establish local education programs for health care professionals,” stated Southern Health.

To attract more allied health professionals to rural communities, Southern Health said it is using career fairs, employment information booths and sessions at colleges and universities, student practicums in rural communities, and job shadowing for high school students.