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
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.