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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
Pro-Palestinian protesters demand endowment transparency. But it's proving not to be simple
Over the last decade, students have pushed universities to cut financial ties with fossil fuel producers, weapons manufacturers, tobacco companies and prison firms. Here's why it's not always that simple.