Murray Wood: Of Easter bunny bells and Juicy Fruit gum
For Murray Wood, Easter brings to mind grandma's practical advice about repurposing, and some of life's little lessons.
The Saskatchewan government is once again singing the praises of its Health Human Resources Action Plan.
The plan, the goal of which is to add 1,000 health-care workers to the workforce over the next few years, was introduced in September. The government’s investment will total more than $60 million over several years.
At the time the plan was released, the NDP said the measures still didn’t address the staffing shortfall in the province.
In a release Friday, the government said 17 continuing care assistants (CCAs) and two medical laboratory assistants (MLAs) from the Philippines have come to Saskatchewan since the recruitment process began.
As well, the government said the Saskatchewan Health Authority has made conditional job offers to nearly 400 registered nurses (RNs), 21 CCAs and two MLAs.
Since December, the SHA also has hired 186 grad nurses from the province and across Canada. Another 129 conditional job offers have been made to nursing students who are to graduate in the spring, the release said.
According to the government, the Ministry of Health continues to offer incentives of between $30,000 and $50,000 to recruit in nine high-priority classifications in rural and remote Saskatchewan in exchange for a three-year return-of-service agreement. The province said 105 of those incentive packages have been approved since the fall in various professions and locations.
As well, nearly 120 of the 250 new and enhanced permanent full-time positions in rural and remote areas have been filled.
The government noted the Final Clinical Placement Bursary, which is offered to students in health disciplines, has seen 168 bursaries approved and paid out in 2022-23 — the highest total since 2014-15.
Recruitment
According to the government, more than 4,600 inquiries have been received from internationally educated health professionals from abroad.
As well, a Healthcare Navigator Services webpage that launched in March has been viewed more than 1,200 times by internationally educated health professionals.
The government said the SHA has extended conditional job offers to nine Saskatchewan-based internationally educated RNs who are in the bridging education program, and has hired 14 Ukrainian newcomers.
Retention
In mid-March, the government announced it was hiking payments under the Rural Physician Incentive Program to $200,000 over five years in hopes of recruiting and retaining doctors in rural settings.
According to the government, the response since the change took effect April 1 has been nearly three times what it would be in an average year. So far, the government said, 96 of the applications have been deemed eligible, and applications are still being reviewed.
