Prairie Mountain Health has responded to a survey from the Angus Reid Institute showing that most Canadians across the country are dissatisfied with how their province is handling healthcare.
According to the survey, 83% of Manitobans feel that the provincial government is doing a poor or very poor job of managing healthcare in the province.
Brian Schoonbaert, chief executive officer of PMH, said that he was surprised by the results and that there are a number of issues that have come out because of the pandemic.
"We do now have surgical and diagnostic imaging backlogs that have to be dealt with. I know personally that the government is trying its very hardest to try to address those waiting lists and hope to... eliminate that backlog within a while, but anyone waiting for surgery or the like... obviously won't be happy with the current state," he added.
He also said that there is a doctor shortage, which is also being seen in other provinces.
"It's hard to find a family doctor... you won't necessarily find one right away, especially if you're in a small community," Schoonbaert added.
According to Schoonbaert, the labour shortage is contributing to issues within the health system and the province is working with the regions to help find and retain staff.
"Our staff have been demoralized [and] overworked during the pandemic. Many have had to... work a whole lot of [mandated] overtime... be redeployed to areas that they wouldn't otherwise have worked... Some staff are quitting or maybe not picking up additional shifts... That's not their fault. I'm not blaming them at all because they're burnt out and it's actually good for them to try to recuperate," he added.
Schoonbaert then went on to say that these staffing shortages are indeed contributing to some of their waiting lists and the temporary emergency department closures.
Since the PMH region has a bunch of small remote communities, Schoonbaert believes that the best way to recruit new staff is to start young.
"[We want to] entice people to go into healthcare professions, to stay in their communities, to stay in their area of the province and that's really what is most sustainable for us and that has been proven over and over again," he said.
Schoonbaert also wanted to remind people to take advantage of Health Links-Info Santé, which helps give people advice on where to receive the appropriate care over the phone. That service can be reached at 1-888-315-9257.