Manitoba town approved for 3 new staff to boost health-care system — but no doctor
New hirings will extend hours at Melita Health Centre; doctor still on town's wish list
Manitoba's government says it's striving to improve primary health care in a small rural community — without relying on a doctor.
The hospital in Melita, a southwestern Manitoba town with around 1,000 people, has been given approval to hire three more health-care workers as part of an effort to build up primary care in the absence of a full-time doctor, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said Thursday.
Health officials are looking for another nurse practitioner, who will support the two already on staff, along with one licensed practical nurse and one mental health and addictions support worker at the Melita Health Centre, a government news release said.
The hiring plan follows lobbying efforts from the Town of Melita, the Municipality of Two Borders and Canupawakpa Dakota Nation. The communities worked together on proposals to boost staffing at Melita's hospital, which closed its emergency department in 2023 after its only physician retired.
The communities recently hosted a public meeting to discuss their proposal for the health centre.
With the backing of the provincial government and Prairie Mountain Health, the regional health authority that covers the Melita area, officials say the hiring for at least some of the needed staff will begin soon.
"It's really, really important … that we do have all these services out here, because it's so remote," said Melita Mayor Bill Holden, who also bemoaned the long wait for ambulances in the southwestern corner of Manitoba.
He celebrated the hiring announcement as an "important first step," but said he hopes the rest of the communities' proposal — including hiring a full-time physician — is eventually fulfilled.
The health authority "has committed to work with us to try and fill that position also," he said.
Asagwara said once the three additional staff are on board, the Melita hospital's hours will be extended into the evening.
"We know that the best ways that you can keep people out of emergency rooms is making sure they've got access to primary care, and that's what this announcement really allows us to do," they said.
1 of 3 hires already found
Prairie Mountain Health CEO Treena Slate said one of the three new hires is already lined up.
The nurse practitioner opening is reserved for an individual from the Melita area who is expected to complete their studies in the early fall.
Advertising for the other two positions will begin as soon as possible, Slate said.
Holden said the planned hirings are a positive for a community adjusting to the loss of its emergency department in 2023 and the loss of ambulance services in 2024, after the area's last paramedic moved to Winnipeg for higher pay.
The community has periodically had doctors filling in, but no one on a regular basis, Holden said.
He doesn't think the community will struggle to find staff for the new roles, saying the proposal will demonstrate the jobs will be stable and long-term.
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