Released on May 19, 1998
Health Minister Clay Serby today announced that 200 additional nurseswill be hired to meet urgent needs and improve the quality of health
care.
"We've been listening carefully to what people -- including caregivers
in the health system -- have been saying about health care," Serby
said.
"We've made important progress. But there's more to do. With this
next step, we're putting 200 new caregivers into the health care
system. They'll help further improve the quality of care, where they
are most needed.
"Our plan is that these nurses will be added to the teams of health
providers in the highest-volume acute care wards, in long-term care
facilities facing the greatest pressures and in homecare services
dealing with the greatest needs," Serby said.
Today's announcement provides approximately $9 million annually to
health districts and the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency for additional
caregivers. Serby said these funds are being provided within this
year's $1.72 billion health budget.
Funding will be targeted to those districts that include base
hospitals and also to other districts that provide specialized
services to residents of surrounding areas.
The Saskatoon health district will receive an additional
$3.6 million. The Regina health district will receive another
$3.2 million. The Saskatchewan Cancer Agency will receive an
increase of $600,000. Remaining funds will be distributed to
other health districts that provide extensive acute care
services.
Serby also pledged to work with unions, districts, professional
associations, the Saskatchewan Association of Health
Organizations and educational institutions on a health human
resources strategy to address the needs of front-line health
workers and longer-term recruitment and retention issues.
"Health care has been changing rapidly in the past five or ten
years and will continue to change," Serby said. "That raises
some fundamental issues about training, hiring and retaining
front-line caregivers in the future. We need to take a careful
look at these human resource issues, in partnership with
caregivers themselves."
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For more information, contact:
Jeff Brown
Communications & Public Information Branch
Saskatchewan Health
Regina
Phone: (306) 787-4088