Better, more convenient health care from Manitoba’s NDP

WINNIPEG — More patients would be able to schedule appointments to see a family doctor, nurse practitioner, nurse or mental-health counsellor at ACCESS Centres on weekends, thanks to a commitment by Wab Kinew and Manitoba’s NDP.

“Health care is an important part of families’ busy lives,” said Kinew. “We believe that being able to schedule things like check-ups, or vaccinations for your kids, on Sundays will make life a bit less stressful for some families. It will also make it easier to access mental-health counselling.”

A Manitoba NDP government would launch this new approach by opening ACCESS Fort Garry on Sundays as a pilot project, at an annual cost of $330,000. Currently ACCESS Fort Garry is open on Saturdays, but this was accomplished by stretching resources intended to cover five days per week over six days. Kinew would restore full funding to weekdays, and ensure there is at least one doctor, 2 nurses, a nurse practitioner, 2 primary case assistants, and a mental-health counsellor working on Saturdays and Sundays.

Funding for the this initiative would be covered by cancelling Pallister’s wasteful Transformation Management Office. Manitoba’s NDP believes resources should be targeted at front-line healthcare instead of more bureaucracy.

Part of the evaluation of the pilot project would include calculating the cost savings associated with more convenient primary care. These savings would be reinvested in expanding the project so that patients would be able to visit all ACCESS Centres on Saturdays and Sundays, by appointment as well as by walk-in.