Latest news with #Asagwara
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Nurse college must be able to pivot: health minister
Manitoba's health minister says the regulatory body for nursing is blocking internationally educated nurses who want to practise in the province and driving them away. 'What we're hearing from nurses — not just IENs but across the board — is that the college continues to be a barrier to nurses successfully joining the front lines and they're leaving Manitoba as a result, or not considering Manitoba as an option,' Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said late Thursday. The health minister was defending their directive that the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba stop requiring 'labour mobility applicants' have 450 hours of nursing experience in Canada over the past two years or 1,225 hours over the past five years. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara: 'If Manitoba wants to be competitive in the health care staffing market, we have to be willing to adapt and evolve.' In 2022, the Progressive Conservative government directed the college to stop requiring out-of-province applicants have recent Canadian experience. The college said it then tracked a significant increase in complaints about nursing incompetence linked to labour mobility applicants, and that two patients have died as a result. It cited complaints about a lack of nursing knowledge, skill and judgment, the inability to take or interpret vital signs, perform a health assessment, safely administer medication or prioritize patient care. In December, the college reinstated the requirement for nurses to have recent Canadian experience. Asagwara ordered the college to stop, saying it was breaking internal trade laws, including the Canadian Free Trade Agreement and the New West Partnership Trade Agreement's labour mobility rules, and legislation requiring regulated professions to ensure their registration practices comply with obligations of a domestic trade agreement. College registrar Deb Elias said Wednesday the province is putting labour mobility and its support for interprovincial free trade ahead of patient safety and lives. The health minister — who is also a registered psychiatric nurse — said the college's complaints have been taken 'very seriously'and 'immediate steps' were taken to keep patients safe. The province is working with regional health authorities and employers to make sure there are pathways for internationally educated nurses to get more support or resources so they can succeed as a nurse or elsewhere on the front line, said Asagwara. The minister said the college is also rejecting qualified nurses. 'We've heard from a number of nurses in the U.S., nurse academics, federal nurses who've been trying to get licensed in Manitoba to practise in nursing stations. We've heard of cases where nurses who practised in Manitoba for over 30 years — in one case, a nurse who practised for 35 years and was short one hour in her recency was denied a licence to return to the front lines as a recently retired nurse.' Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Asagwara said the health department's recruitment and retention office is triaging 'literally dozens of nurses who've come to us because they have not been supported by the college.' The minister said Manitoba has to be able to pivot. 'We have to be able to evolve. The college, I know, has historically been unwilling to do so. That's not the landscape of health care in Canada anymore,' Asagawara said. 'If Manitoba wants to be competitive in the health care staffing market, we have to be willing to adapt and evolve and meet the growing needs and economic realities.' Carol SandersLegislature reporter Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol. Every piece of reporting Carol produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Relaxed nursing requirements jeopardize patient safety, Manitoba regulator warns health minister
The College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba says the province is putting labour mobility and its support for interprovincial free trade ahead of patient safety and lives. Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara ordered the college to stop requiring that 'labour mobility applicants' — nurses recently licensed in other provinces who applied to nurse in Manitoba — must have 450 hours of nursing experience in Canada in the past two years or 1,225 hours in the past five years. The minister told the college in an April 30 letter that it was breaking internal trade laws, including the Canadian Free Trade Agreement and the New West Partnership Trade Agreement's labour mobility rules, and legislation requiring regulated professions to ensure their registration practices comply with obligations of a domestic trade agreement. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES Deb Elias, of the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba, centre, and Darlene Jackson, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union, right, want tighter restrictions on incoming nurses. Asagwara's letter said no jurisdictions in Canada have approved labour mobility exceptions for registered nurses, and directed the college to drop its 'currency of practice' requirement within 30 days. With no avenue to appeal the minister's order, the college spoke out Wednesday, saying patients are at risk and that two have died as the result of Manitoba not requiring labour mobility applicants recently licensed out of province to have current Canadian nursing experience. College registrar Deb Elias said she can't provide details of the two preventable deaths reported in November because those cases are going through the college's professional conduct process. One of the nurses surrendered their licence voluntarily and the other was suspended, the college confirmed. It said it has seen a significant increase in complaints about nursing incompetence linked to the labour mobility applicants, such as a lack of nursing knowledge, skill and judgment, the inability to take or interpret vital signs, perform a health assessment, safely administer medication or prioritize patient care. That occurred after the college was told by former Tory health minister Audrey Gordon in 2022 not to demand that out-of-province nurses have current hours of Canadian practice under their belt. 'We stopped that practice and then monitored it for a period of time,' Elias said. 'At the end of last year, 2024, we were very alarmed at the trend that we saw, with a substantial increase in complaints and the significant, gross nursing incompetence that we were seeing.' In 2023, the cohort accounted for 15 per cent of practice-related complaints despite representing a much smaller number of the total number of registered nurses. In 2024, the same group of nurses lacking current Canadian experience accounted for 50 per cent (27 of 54) of the complaints. In December, the college notified Asagwara that it was reverting back to its policy of requiring nurses have Canadian experience. Manitoba, which is dealing with a critical health-care staffing shortage is competing with other jurisdictions to recruit professionals. At the same time, it's also committed to interprovincial free trade and removing barriers to labour mobility throughout Canada in response to a trade war launched by the U.S. Asagwara did not respond to repeated requests for comment Wednesday. Elias said the college will keep talking to the health minister and the Health Department about its concerns and look for alternate solutions. 'We absolutely support labour mobility and welcome nurses and (nurse practitioners) from across the country. But we also want to uphold patient safety. That is our mandate. And we know that these two things can happen,' she said. 'What we're talking about here is, really, a group of nurses who've obtained registration elsewhere but haven't practised in recent years, so aren't up to date.'–Deb Elias 'What we're talking about here is, really, a group of nurses who've obtained registration elsewhere but haven't practised in recent years, so aren't up to date, and that we're working to resolve it. 'Once people are registered, they can work anywhere, and that is really part of our concern. The public should be concerned, but they should also know that the vast majority of registered nurses on our register have met all the standards, maintain currency and are required to do professional development.' Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson said more nurses are desperately needed, but only if they're trained and can do the job. 'What I'm hearing from nurses is that this is absolutely unfair to these nurses that are coming in because they are not prepared properly for our health-care system,' Jackson said Wednesday. Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. 'There's no ability for them to prepare properly because there's no way for the college to assess to see if they need that preparation.' She said the situation is difficult for for nurses working alongside the recent additions. 'You're not only doing your own job, but you are continuously trying to ensure that these nurses are supported and, through no fault of their own, doing what they need to be doing,' she said. 'I think it's in the best interest of the public to allow the college to do what they need to do to follow their mandate to ensure that Manitoba nurses, everyone practising in the Manitoba system as a nurse, is practising safely.' Carol SandersLegislature reporter Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol. Every piece of reporting Carol produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
28-05-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
NDP extends Dynacare deal despite criticism in opposition
After criticizing the consolidation of laboratories and the for-profit delivery of essential health services while in opposition, the NDP government has signed a five-year agreement with Dynacare to deliver even more community services. 'Manitobans made clear to us that they wanted to see lab services improve in the province,' Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said in an interview Wednesday. 'We have come to an agreement with Dynacare that does just that.' That includes opening seven more blood and urinalysis collection sites in under-served areas of the province, including northeast Winnipeg, rural communities and First Nations, the minister said. Winnipeg Free Press Files It also includes rapid mobile lab collection for physicians to support family doctors, and a commitment from Dynacare to deliver a mobile app to review test results at no cost to Manitoba patients, said Asagwara, who couldn't provide a timeline. The value of the contract is $42.4 million for 2025-26, the same as last year, when the province extended the private Ontario firm's contract by one year while it reviewed the future of diagnostic testing in the province. At the time, Asagwara did not rule out bringing community laboratory services back into the public sector. In 2018, Dynacare became the sole provider of community-based specimen collection and analysis services for Winnipeg outside of hospitals after it acquired Unicity Laboratory and X-Ray Services. Dynacare closed 21 lab locations followed by another round of closures that consolidated 25 labs into four Winnipeg 'super sites.' The company currently advertises 14 locations in Winnipeg. The health minister said staying with the for-profit company, in a deal first signed by the previous Progressive Conservative government, is in the best interest of Manitobans. 'Our government prioritizes strengthening the public health-care system,' Asagwara said. 'The transition to Dynacare was made (by) the previous government so many years ago that any change away from Dynacare, at this point, would be incredibly disruptive to not only the health-care system, but directly to patients who rely on this service. We want a health-care system that is more stable, more predictable and provides better services.' Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. The five-year deal aims to increase access and quality of service for things like getting bloodwork done. It will offer more mobile collections in personal care homes so residents don't need to travel, said Asagwara, who couldn't provide details. Dynacare must get the government's permission to close any site, change hours or modify services. There are now non-compliance penalties for failing to meet performance indicators like wait times and test accuracy, the minister said. 'Having standards is a pretty basic component of an agreement,' Asagwara said. 'It is wildly irresponsible that the previous government didn't ever have any performance metrics, any accountability measures or standards in their relationship with Dynacare. We have these measures and performance indicators in place and we're keeping a close eye on them to make sure Manitobans are getting the best value for the dollar.' The health minister called the agreement 'fiscally responsible' and said it allows the province to keep its lab costs stable. 'Manitobans made clear to us that they wanted to see lab services improve in the province.'–Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara The Manitoba Health Coalition says it is disappointing the province is moving to consolidate and expand private lab services. 'This announcement does not make up for the 46 labs Dynacare closed in Manitoba in 2018,' said Molly McCracken, the coalition's acting spokesperson. Closing labs made it harder for seniors and people without access to a vehicle or public transit to obtain those services, she said. In 2025, access to mobile apps is 'standard' and could be provided by a public lab service, McCracken said. 'The priority of for-profit laboratory services is to make money — money that should be going into improving public access instead of being paid out to corporate shareholders,' she said. The health minister said hundreds of unionized Dynacare workers 'deliver great services to Manitobans each and every day.' McCracken said Manitoba should move to the model used in Alberta, where community lab services are publicly delivered by Alberta Precision Laboratories, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alberta Health Services. Dynacare is a subsidiary of the life-sciences company Labcorp, which reported US$13 billion (nearly $18 billion) in revenue in 2024. Carol SandersLegislature reporter Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol. Every piece of reporting Carol produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Global News
23-05-2025
- Health
- Global News
Manitoba health minister says new Dynacare deal to lead to more patient access
The Manitoba government has signed a five-year deal with Dynacare to continue laboratory services and open seven more sites in northeast Winnipeg and rural Manitoba. The health-care company is also planning to deliver a mobile app that Manitobans can use to review test results. Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara told 680 CJOB's The News that there's no timeline yet for the app, but the value of the overall contract with Dynacare is $42.4 million in 2025-26 — the same as the previous year. The company already has 21 locations across the province, 14 of which are in Winnipeg. 'Manitobans need more access to lab services, not less,' Asagwara said. 'So we've been working with Dynacare to make sure that Manitobans have access to more sites, that there's standardizations in terms of how that care is delivered, that there's expectations in terms of how that care is delivered, and that we're really modernizing lab services for Manitobans.' Story continues below advertisement The minister said the move toward digital technology is part of a push toward ease of access for patients provincewide. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'It's really about bringing Manitoba health care into the modern era. We have been so far behind other jurisdictions and it's unacceptable, frankly, that health-care workers are still using paper charts, the systems aren't talking to each other … we have to do better. 'We are investing substantial amounts of resources in modernizing our digital technology here in Manitoba.' In a statement, a Dynacare spokesperson said the company is happy to continue working with the province. 'Dynacare is pleased to have reached a new long-term agreement with the Manitoba government, which will allow us to make strategic investments in our facilities, equipment, technology and people in support of Manitoba's healthcare system,' the statement said. Dr. Alex Singer, director of research and quality improvement in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Manitoba, told The News that any move that gives patients more information about their health is a positive one. 'I think it's definitely a positive development that patients will have access to their own records and their own laboratory results,' Singer said. 'There's a utility there, and these things need to be done in collaboration with primary care providers or specialty providers, so there's a balance. Story continues below advertisement 'Not all information is positive, but having access to it will … certainly reduce anxiety when waiting for test results, and I think in some ways will increase safety. If there's two or three people checking, that's always better than one or two. If patients are directly part of that care team, they're more engaged, they're more capable.'
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Manitoba pharmacists will soon have ability to prescribe birth control, HIV medications
Pharmacists in Manitoba will soon be able to prescribe birth control, the province's health minister revealed this week in an announcement that came as a pleasant surprise to the industry. Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara told the legislature Wednesday that granting pharmacists the means to assess and prescribe contraceptives is a "very reasonable expansion of scope for pharmacists in Manitoba." The minister added in an interview the government is moving "very quickly" on the changes, which will take effect "in the coming days and weeks." "We're trying to get it out the door as quickly as we can for pharmacists across the province who have been asking for this for years," they said. Pharmacists will also be able to prescribe HIV medications beginning this summer, a government official said. Manitoba, Ontario and the three territories are the only places in Canada that do not currently allow pharmacists to prescribe birth control. Emergency contraceptives, such as the Plan B pill, are currently available without a prescription from pharmacies. "Right now in Manitoba, pharmacists do not have the ability to practise at their full scope, the way that they should," said Asagwara, who pledged "to go even further" in granting pharmacists more prescribing authority. Members of the industry association Pharmacists Manitoba were in the legislature to watch question period Wednesday, after they were informed that Liberal MLA Cindy Lamoureux would ask questions about pharmacists' scope of practice. In her first question, Lamoureux asked if the government planned to "enable and empower pharmacists who directly assess and prescribe contraception." The question prompted a sometimes rare occurrence in question period: a direct answer to the question posed. "The short answer to that question, for the member of Tyndall Park, is yes," Asagwara said. Britt Kural, the pharmacy practice adviser with Pharmacists Manitoba, said she was "pleasantly surprised" by the response. "We had no idea that there was going to be something right around the corner," said Kural. The pharmacist said she believes she and her colleagues will be able to prescribe products like daily oral birth control pills, hormonal injections and IUDs, but the province hasn't provided those details yet. Currently, a patient must go to a doctor's office or a nurse practitioner to receive a prescription for birth control, and must then visit a pharmacist to pick it up. This regulatory change will save patients from seeing a doctor or nurse practitioner. "Quite often pharmacists are a first point of care for many people in Manitoba, because they don't have access to a primary care physician or a nurse practitioner, especially in rural and remote communities," Kural said. She couldn't estimate what kind of uptake pharmacists will see, but said her profession is eager to help. Women's Health Clinic executive director Kemlin Nembhard said any step toward making prescription birth control more accessible is worth celebrating. The change will make contraceptives easier to access for people without a family doctor, or for young people who worry about their parents finding out, she said. While Manitoba's NDP government has been offering free prescription birth control since October of last year, Nembhard said some hurdles to accessing these contraceptives persist, such as the requirement to have a health card. It's one of the reasons the clinic runs a free birth control program, funded entirely through donations. "It would be great for us to get funding through the province to support that program," Nembhard said. Kural said Manitoba's pharmacists would like to further expand their prescribing authority. Some options could include prescriptions to treat the minor ailments pharmacists are already assessing, such as strep throat, ear infections and cold sores, Kural said. Any such move would require regulatory changes from the province.
