Kinew hits pause on Manitoba surgical and diagnostic task force to examine needs, spending

Premier Wab Kinewis pressing the brakes on the provincial task force created to tackle Manitoba's surgical and diagnostic backlogs.

"At this stage, we have asked them to not commit to any new initiatives until we get a handle on the situation here," he saidat a news conference on Tuesday.

Kinewsaid he wants to meet with workers on the front lines of thehealth-care system to understand their needs and to reduce bureaucracy at the highest levels of the system.

There was a lack of financial oversight by theprevious Progressive Conservative government, he said, and he wants to evaluate expenditures but will honour all current contracts.

The diagnostic and surgical recovery task force a team ofhealth-care professionals and other experts was created in December 2021. As of March 2023, the province hadcommitted $240 million to support initiatives implemented through it, the government's websitesays.

Kinew said he is concerned about a lack of oversight of the task force's decision-making, "and that they were making decisions about spending without having a systemwide view of what's happening in the health-care system."

People who are already in the process of being referred for care through thetask force's work will have those arrangementshonoured, Kinew said.

Progressive Conservative health critic Kathleen Cook said the newNDP government must explainhow stopping some of the task force's workwill affectexisting backlogs, and explain its plan "to help Manitobans waiting in pain to get their surgeries," she said in an email.

"Manitobans deserve transparency, not political games. It's time for the NDP to get out of election mode and start behaving like a government."

Open letter to health-care workers

Kinew and Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara also used Tuesday's news conference to repeata mantra that began during the election campaign and has been repeated several times since the NDPcame to power athank-you tohealth-care workers and public acknowledgement they are neededas the province works on a system theysay was dismantled and damaged by the PCs.

"During one of the most difficult times to work in health care, you've taken wonderful care of us and our loved ones. Now it's time for us to take better care of you," Kinew said.

New Manitoba government puts surgical task force on pause

11 months ago

Duration 2:00

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has asked the provincial task force created to tackle the province's surgical and diagnostic backlogs to not commit to any new initiatives until his administration assesses the group's value.

"Our government is committed to giving you the respect and the resources that you need and that you deserve."

Kinew and Asagwarasaid they sent a letter to health-care workers, reiterating the government's promise to give them more say in how the system operates, taking into accounttheir years of experience so that solutions from the bedside make their way up the chain of command.

They promised to rebuild the relationship between the province and the workers, withAsagwarasaying "trust has been broken due to the previous government's mismanagement of health care and mistreatment of health-care workers."

However, neither Kinew or Asagwara could say if any new advisory committees would be establishedso that workers could contribute to the restructuring of the system.

"We look forward to providing opportunities to front-line health-care providers to have their voices heard and their expertise respected," Asagwara would only say.

Kinew said he welcomes dissenting opinions and criticisms "in order to build a stronger health-care plan that works for everyone.

"And here I want to pause to make a specific point, which is the idea of retribution in health care, for those who speak out from the front lines, is now over. Feel free to speak out about theneeds within your specific setting, about the needs system wide."

The focus will be on addressing the problems, not the whistleblowers, he said.

The premier and health minister also promised to:

• Work to end mandatory overtime sohealth-care workershave work-life balance.
• Hold management accountable for measurable goals in improving the health-care system.
• Provide more training opportunities and incentives to encourage Manitobans to join the health-care workforce.

Reporters asked multiple times for practical details on how those promises would be acted upon. Kinew said many more announcements will come and asked for patience.

"The task before us, of repairing the damage that has been caused to our health-care system, is going to take years to accomplish," he said.

"Today, we are beginning the work of fixing health care with communicating our values values of listening, values of respect."

The PCs' Cook described the NDP's announcement as "full of platitudes" that "lacked any tangible action."

One of the government's key promises is to boost staffing in the health-care system.

No option is off the table, including an international recruiting trip, Kinew said.The previous PC governmentembarked on arecruitment mission tothe Philippines earlier this year.

"To those folks who have recently left the public health-care system in Manitoba, either to retire or to find a better work-life balance in other places, it is with the greatest humility that I would ask you to consider coming back," said Kinew.

He also said reducing wait times in hospital remains a priority, but the government willwork first to stabilize them.

Wait times have increasedin recent months.