August 14, 2019
Winnipeg – Craig Larkins, the Manitoba Liberal Candidate for Fort Garry, says the NDP needs to straighten out whether or not they will reopen the Victoria Hospital ER.
Larkins said he has been hearing from constituents that NDP candidate Mark Wasyliw has been telling Fort Garry residents that the NDP will reopen Victoria Hospital ER, while leader Wab Kinew said the NDP will keep it closed.
In a recent campaign announcement, the NDP said they would reopen Concordia and Seven Oaks ER – with no mention of Victoria Hospital’s ER. Kinew said last week that it is not reasonable to convert Victoria Hospital's urgent care centre back to an ER because too much time has passed since the switch happened.
“Manitoba Liberals have made it clear that we will give more decision-making power and control back to local community health care, so we can keep ERs open – including the Victoria Hospital,” said Larkins. “If the NDP are going to stick with Pallister’s cuts to the Vic, they should be straight about it, and explain why one of their candidates is saying otherwise.”
Larkins said that the Victoria Hospital serves a huge community in south Winnipeg as well as rural communities, and that he has heard from constituents they want to see it reopened, which Liberals believe makes more sense from a logistical point of view.
Manitoba Liberals have pledged that if elected, they will lift the PCs three-year spending freeze on health and increase hiring to refill jobs that have been left vacant.
Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said his party will allow hospitals and clinics greater control and decision making by reversing decades of hyper-centralized health care under the NDP and PCs by merging three levels of bureaucracy into one, and focusing on more community care.
Manitoba Liberals will merge RHAs and “Shared Health” - the new, fourth level of bureaucracy created by the Pallister government into Manitoba Health, and more decision-making power would be returned to hospitals.
This would give hospitals the authority and power to reopen ERs at Concordia, Seven Oaks and Victoria Hospital.
“We are committed to listening to Manitobans and people and making sure that they get the care they need close to home,” said Lamont. “This election is an opportunity to stop the bleeding and start building because Pallister has made it clear he will never increase health care funding.”
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