“Nurses are not dispensable and are not easily replaceable,” says Manitoba’s Darlene Jackson, RN

This week’s edition of who is saying what about public health care is compiled by Pat Van Horne.

Manitoba nurses vote yes to contract, after first offer rejected

“Now the work begins to keep pushing for and fighting for things that nurses need to see in the facilities… They need to see safer workplaces, they need to see a decrease in their workload…  (Nurses) are still being yelled at, they’re still been spat on, they’re still been hit and punched and threatened, and those are all issues that need to be dealt with… We are in a critical nursing shortage; nurses are not dispensable and are not easily replaceable. It’s just about bringing some respect and value to the profession again,” said Manitoba Nurses Union President Darlene Jackson, Winnipeg Free Press, July 8, 2024

Bold vision needed for our future, says Canadian Federation of Nurses Union President Linda Silas

“Canada needs a bold vision for the future of our health care. Amidst an ongoing staffing crisis, the cracks in our public health care systems have only grown deeper and wider, with too many going without the care they need when they need it… COVID-19 laid bare the shameful state of seniors’ care, particularly in for-profit long-term care homes who were found to have lower staffing levels, less care hours delivered to residents, and consequently higher mortality rates… Dr. Jane Philpott’s prescription for a healthier Canada, where everyone in Canada accesses primary care in a system organized by postal codes, provides a bright light for what the future of health care could look like,” said Linda Silas, president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU), iPolitics, July 4, 2024

Dental care program still a work in progress: minister calls on more dentists to sign on

“It’s essential that every provider be signed up in the country… So far it’s just shy of 50 per cent,” said Health Minister Mark Holland at a press conference in Nova Scotia about the Canadian Dental Care Plan to CP24; The Canadian Press, July 8, 2024

Privatizing Ontario no solution for health care, or anything else

“What happened to our once civil society? We now live in an Ontario no one recognizes. Everywhere you look there is a crisis — homelessness, affordability, health care, education, building and infrastructure decay. . . Small tax cuts to the general population have been used as a cover for massive tax cuts to the wealthy and their corporations. . .  Beware any politician promising tax cuts. We do not have a wealth creation problem. We do have a very serious distribution of wealth problem,” wrote Paul Kahnert, Markham, Ontario in the Toronto Star, July 5, 2024

Family medicine threatened by privatization

“I don’t like the private health-care stuff like clinics. The government, they need to intervene and quickly because we are going to see more and more and more, and it’s just not going to solve anything. . .It will definitely make the health of Ontarians worse, undoubtedly, because the people who need care aren’t the wealthy ones who can afford these profit-oriented clinics. So it’s really quite sad in my opinion,” said Dr. David Barber, chair of general and family practice, Ontario Medical Association, Annex Post Magazine, July 2024

Combine technology and compassion, says tech consultant

“We must identify who is best suited to tasks within the clinical service continuum. An honest appraisal will consider conventional and atypical labour, skilled resources across all professional groups, greater industry collaboration, as well as technology use, including the thoughtful application of emerging artificial intelligence solutions. To strengthen the human-to-human relationship between caregiver and patient, designs must be thoughtful in how we combine technology and compassion. . . Greater integration of nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and physician assistants in both physical and digital settings will help streamline processes and enhance the patient experience,” said Jimmy Yang, co-chair ‘Accenture’ Global Health Strategy Council, in the Hill Times, July 3, 2024

Nunavut government offering incentives for health care workers

“At a time when jurisdictions across Canada are struggling to recruit and retain healthcare workers, the Government of Nunavut extended a variety of perks. Wage increases, retention bonuses, assistance in paying back student loans, and tuition forgiveness for working in Nunavut were part of a package of incentives devised to make the territory a more attractive place to find employment… The bonuses are in place until at least Aug. 1, 2025,” according to a report in Northern News Services Limited Media (NNSL), July 7, 2024

Albertans paying for premier’s plan to cut health care

“Premier Danielle Smith, in the 2023 spring election and the 2022 UCP leadership contest, vowed to revamp AHS, eliminating what she perceived as a lethargic layer of middle managers and an ineffective executive. The government’s effort, spurred in part by Ms. Smith’s displeasure with the way health officials managed the coronavirus pandemic, has yet to produce tangible results for patients, although the tab is rising,” according to a report in The Globe and Mail, July 8, 2024

Nova Scotia council of health care unions look to conciliation in dispute over essential services

“Unfortunately, we have repeatedly seen the employer attempt to undermine workers’ right to strike and, by extension, bargain a fair collective agreement, by refusing to meaningfully engage in the process of establishing essential services. The Council has grown frustrated with the lack of progress, and has asked for the assistance of a mediator or Conciliation Services to oversee the process,” stated a Nova Scotia Government Employees Union (NSGEU) news release, as reported in Global News, July 3, 2024