The federal government has offered provincial leaders more than $46 billion in new healthcare funding, but is it enough to fix the strained system?
In an interview with CTV news, NSWOCC Academic Chair, Kimberly LeBlanc, PhD, RN, NSWOC, WOCC(C), FCAN, emphasized that nurses have been sounding the alarm for over two decades that Canada’s healthcare system is in crisis, every healthcare sector is broken, and reform is needed across the healthcare spectrum. Nurses must be at the table when healthcare reform is planned.
While the provinces do not want to be dictated on how monies will be spent, Leblanc stated that the federal government’s plan needs to include mandatory wage increases for nurses and improve working conditions. Focus needs to be on recruitment and retention. Retention and respect for nursing is the key to solving the healthcare crisis. LeBlanc concluded that “nurses are not interchangeable, we are highly educated and specialized”. Prevention and promotion of health is paramount for Canadians, this can only be realized by timely access to family physicians and nurse practitioners.
Listen to the complete interview below to find out more: