Alberta's government promises funding in an effort to attract health-care staff
The province is rolling out a new plan it hopes will alleviate major health-care shortages in Alberta.
Health Minister Jason Copping announced the Health Workforce Strategy on Thursday.
It's a funding commitment largely built on a promise to renew older financial commitments, but it will see some new ideas brought to the table.
It'll involve a $90-million recommitment in 2023 to strengthening programs that attract and retain rural physicians, an initiative first announced in January 2022.
Health-care staffing in less-populated areas is currently a massive problem.
"It's hard because we don't have a large pool to pull from right now," Bethany Care Society's Jennifer McCue said.
"Outside of the cities, there are too few (potential workers) looking."
Jobs Minister Brian Jean said the province not only wants to bring people from urban areas, but get those who grew up in smaller communities to stay.
The funding will try to make the idea more appealing.
"We will be offering incentive funds for those in health care to practise in rural areas," Jean said.
The Health Workforce Strategy also includes $7 million toward the already-announced recruitment of internationally trained nurses.
It'll go after skilled professionals in the United Kingdom and the United states.
BUDGET TEASER
But it's hard to know just how bad the staffing problem is.
The province didn't get into details Thursday about how many workers are needed or where the demand is highest.
Copping said that information will be filled in when the budget is tabled, but it'll first have to be collected from various partners around Alberta.
That tease isn't sitting right with a union representing thousands of health workers.
"They said 'we need more' and 'we need to do better' and while those statements are accurate, how do we measure more and how do we measure better?" Bobby-Joe Borodey with the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees said.
"Where are the details?"
Critics speculate the lack of specifics may be due to a similar rural attraction initiative falling flat in 2022.
The United Conservative government spent $2 million last year on a program to recruit family doctors to work in rural communities.
"RESIDE" was supposed to place 20 new doctors a year for three years, but less than a year in, only one doctor had been hired.
Copping promises the commitment to improvement is still there.
"We are going to continue to make changes to programs to get the results that we need," he said.
"Some of (the programs) will work, some of them won't. But what's important is actually we continue to evaluate them, and what's not working, we change."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Doctors combine a pig kidney transplant and a heart device in a bid to extend woman's life
Doctors have transplanted a pig kidney into a New Jersey woman who was near death, part of a dramatic pair of surgeries that also stabilized her failing heart.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.