Minister Cameron Friesen speaks at the Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg on March 12, 2018. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski)
WINNIPEG — An injection of $2.3 million from the province will increase nursing levels at the city’s two obstetrical units.
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority announced Monday the funding will allow the St. Boniface obstetrics unit to schedule an additional two nurses 24/7 from 12 to 14, plus a charge nurse.
The obstetrical unit at Health Sciences Centre will receive one more nursing position around the clock, plus a charge nurse, bringing its total to 15.
“Additional nursing staff are needed to handle the steady increase in the number of births that obstetrics units at Health Sciences Centre and St. Boniface Hospital are seeing,” said Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Cameron Friesen.
“The addition of these new nursing positions will ensure both units are staffed appropriately at all times, both now and into the future, so newborns and their mothers continue to receive the high-quality care they require.”
Between the two units, 11,710 deliveries were made in the 2017/18 fiscal year. By next year (2019-20), deliveries are expected to rise to more than 12,000, which would represent a roughly 13 percent increase over a 10-year period.
The WRHA says the funding will also be used to create an elective caesarean section team at St. Boniface, which will operate two days a week, representing an additional 1.6 full-time equivalent positions. A similar team already exists at HSC.
