Province says it made hundreds of conditional offers to Filipino nurses on recruitment mission

The provincial government said it made 128 conditional offers to registered nurses in the Philippines while on a recruitment mission to the south Asian nation, as it tries to ease strain on the province’s health care system.

In November, Health Minister Paul Merriman, who led the delegation to Manila, said they would specifically look to recruit registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, continuing care aides and laboratory technologists.

Merriman also said at the time, while they won’t be looking specifically for physicians he would not turn down anyone who is interested in coming to work in Saskatchewan.

The recruitment trip was part of Saskatchewan’s Health Human Resources Action Plan.

A plan the province has said has four points: recruit, train, incentivize and retain.

According to Merriman, the province had received over 3,000 applications and over 1,600 confirmed registrations to attend information sessions before they embarked on the recruitment trip that lasted from Nov. 28 to Dec. 2.

“Saskatchewan delegates also promoted provincial healthcare employment opportunities over a five-day period in Manila by hosting 10 workshops and information sessions attended by over 1,200 interested Filipino healthcare workers,” the province said in a release. “These sessions assisted with the licensing and regulatory process, immigration process, and relocation supports.”

Merriman also met with officials from Saskatchewan Polytechnic to celebrate the opening of its Manila-based office and to sign partnership agreements with a number of universities in the Philippines.

The NDP had previously criticized the recruitment mission with leader Carla Beck saying the province has not had enough discussions with current healthcare workers around the province to gauge what areas need to be attended to first and foremost.

Beck also said that while it’s a positive to recruit healthcare workers the province needs to stabilize current employees in Saskatchewan and learn why so many are leaving the province.

“We know that of new grads from the University of Saskatchewan for example, only 10 per cent are choosing to remain in the province. This is an issue, physicians have wanted a seat at the table and have wanted their concerns to be heard by this government,” Beck said in November.

“We want the government to work with [existing] providers and to work with local communities who know their needs and who know where their opportunities are and we’re hearing that simply is not happening or is not happening in an effective way,” Beck also said.

Details on other healthcare opportunities, how to access them and more information on the province’s four-point plan can be read here.