For Immediate Release
February 13, 2025
NL NDP Leader Jim Dinn (St. John’s Centre) is calling out government on its broken promise to phase out private agency nurses and for its failure to support public healthcare workers by investing in recruitment and retention.
In December 2023, Dinn called for a plan to end the use of travel nurses after it was revealed the government had spent over $100 million on private agency nurses. Then Minister of Health said they had a phase-out strategy. Dinn says that clearly there was never a plan in the first place.
“Hearing NL Health Services announce that they will be looking to employ agency nurses to open beds in the old Western Memorial Hospital proves that government never actually had a plan to phase out these private workers. More importantly, government seems to be failing its efforts to recruit and retain healthcare workers for the public system,” said Dinn. “I asked again in August of last year for a detailed plan and timeline of how government plans to stop the use of these agencies and have had no response. It is shameful for government to continue to let privatization sneak into our public system.
“I have to ask the Premier, what has his government done to address the issues brought forward many times by healthcare workers and their unions in this province?” Dinn questioned. “We hear about the lack of work-life balance, lack of resources for dealing with violence in hospitals and lack of jobs for students when they graduate. Why is government so opposed to addressing these problems?”
Dinn reiterated that the NDP has consistently advocated for better working conditions, fair wages, and long-term solutions to ensure healthcare workers have the supports they need so that Newfoundland and Labrador can have a sustainable public healthcare system.
“Our healthcare system needs permanent, well-supported public sector health care workers,” said Dinn. “Government must stop relying on band-aid solutions and actually address the root of the problem. The people of Newfoundland and Labrador deserve better.”
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For further information, contact Stephanie Curran, Media and Communications Officer, NDP Caucus at 330-0328 (o), or stephaniecurran@gov.nl.ca
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