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June 5, 2006
Westman Regional Lab Technologist Shortage |
| Question Period |
Mrs. Leanne Rowat (Minnedosa):
Diagnostic Services Manitoba say there are 13 technologist vacancies at the Westman Regional Lab. The technologists themselves have called it a critical shortage and have emphasized the importance of completing tests quickly and accurately, but the Minister of Health says they are not short-staffed. I question his numbers that he has been sharing earlier in other areas that leads to this question. Is the minister telling the DSM and the laboratory technologists in Brandon that they are wrong about their own profession shortages?
Hon. Tim Sale (Minister of Health):
First of all, Mr. Speaker, I would ask the member just to be careful about terminology. Technologists are not lab techs. Lab techs are hired out of Grade 12 and they are trained on-site. They are very important people in our system. Technologists are trained in a two-year certificate program at Red River College, a program that when they were in government they abolished. I wonder why we are short of technologists. But, let me tell the member that we have hired 150 more technologists than we had when we formed government in 1999, Mr. Speaker, so she is wrong about the number 13. It is seven. There are seven coming in June to fill all of the vacancies in the Westman Lab in Brandon.
Mrs. Rowat:
Mr. Speaker, I find it passing strange that the technologists out in Brandon are questioning whether he knows the difference between a technician or a technologist. I also wonder about his statement of 150 new technologists in Manitoba, then why are 50 leaving the province and not returning? We are losing technologists, and he is doing nothing about it. Mr. Speaker, the technologists are blaming the minister for the shortage. Technologists of Westman Regional Laboratory have stated, and I quote: The fact is the present government has been in power for the last seven years, during some of the worst times for the Westman Regional Laboratory. They are frustrated with this minister's unwillingness to acknowledge the critical technologist shortage at the Westman Lab. Can the Minister of Health attempt to solve a problem that he will not even acknowledge exists?
Mr. Sale:
Well, I wonder if the member opposite was in support of her party's policy of cancelling programs to train critical medical specialists, Mr. Speaker. Was she in favour of cutting that program in the 1990s? Does she understand the impact? Mr. Speaker, I am told that as of today, not as of when her question was framed two weeks or three weeks or two months ago, as of today, there are no vacancies in the Westman Lab for either technologists or technicians. Those positions have been filled by graduates of the program that they cancelled and we reinstalled.
Some Honourable Members:
Oh, oh.
Mr. Speaker: Order.
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