For Immediate Release
January 22, 2025
NL NDP Leader Jim Dinn (St. John’s Centre) is concerned about governments inaction on health care worker retention. Reduced immigration numbers will impact the province’s healthcare system, due to government inaction on the immigration file.
His comments come after the provincial minister’s reaction to the federal government announcement to reduce immigration spaces for the province. Dinn says the minister’s statement about being gobsmacked on immigration shows that government has focused its attention on the wrong priorities when it comes to retaining healthcare workers.
“The Premier’s international recruitment approach but that has not helped fill all of the vacancies in our health care system,” said Dinn. “Government can continue to talk about all of the work they are doing in Ireland, India, and elsewhere, but until we address the workers leaving the province to seek employment in other provinces, we will continue to bleed our own workers.”
Dinn says government needs to invest more into our medical school, highlighting the initiatives they could put forward to help students stay in this province after graduating.
“If we want our medical students and nursing students to stay here, we must invest in them. Instead, government spent over $100 million on private travel nurses,” said Dinn. “Whether that is making sure they are paid for their work terms, to bursary programs for education that would include a number of years working in the province post graduation, there are so many levers we can pull.
“Just a few months ago, we heard from nursing students who were not offered a position before graduation. Some students did not even receive an interview with government until after graduation. This isn’t good enough. We can’t let students sit around and wait for government. Government needs to be ready for them.
“Investing in our students is investing in our health care system and the well-being of the people of province. We should be doing whatever we can to work with these students and make sure they know there is a spot for them in our system when they graduate.”
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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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