For Immediate Release
June 29, 2023
NL NDP Leader Jim Dinn (St. John’s Centre) is again calling on government to focus on retention of healthcare workers. The call comes after a report from Saltwire News that outlined by the province’s own Facility Condition Index other facilities, many in Long Term Care, are in worse condition and in need of attention. The facilities report points to many long-term care facilities in worse condition than St. Clare’s Hospital yet government is pushing forward on a new building that will not solve our health care worker shortage.
“The data from the Facility Condition Index reveals what we knew all along that the announcement of the new St. Clare’s was a deflection from government’s poor record on recruitment and retention of healthcare workers,” said Dinn. “Healthcare workers were also confused by the announcement of a new hospital for St. John’s asking how the building will be adequately staffed, and why the backlog in long term care wasn’t prioritized to relieve pressure in hospitals by moving patients into more appropriate facilities.”
In October 2022 the Liberal government announced the replacement of St. Clare’s Hospital with no details as to where it was going, how much it would cost, or when it would be completed. Human Resources and work-life balance are the focus of healthcare workers in the province, government announced a brand new hospital as a measure of “recruitment and retention” for healthcare.
“While Newfoundlanders and Labradorians continue to pay through the teeth for travel nurses and struggle to find a family doctor government continues to flail around showing how out of touch they are,” said Dinn. “We are calling on government to listen to our health care professionals to help them deal with the human resources issues facing them in the system. Health care workers are holding the health care system together with determination and a lot of overtime. They deserve better. We deserve better from government.”
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For further information, contact Eddy St. Coeur, Director of Communications, NDP Caucus at 729-2137 (o), or eddystcoeur@gov.nl.ca