Premiere Heather Stefanson and the Manitoba government have announced the details of their 2022 Provincial Budget.
The Budget will help prioritize the health and well-being of Manitobans and will include a total investment of 7.2 billion dollars to make the health care system in the province stronger.
The list of key investments that were introduced to help strengthen the health-care system for all Manitobans include:
- $110 million to reduce pandemic diagnostic and surgical backlogs;
- $9 million for additional beds to increase capacity in Manitoba’s intensive care units;
- Over $100 million for the St. Boniface Hospital emergency room (ER) redevelopment, tripling the size of its ER;
- $17 million for implementing year one of the five-year A Pathway to Mental Health and Community Wellness: A Roadmap for Manitoba;
- Nearly $20 million for developing a new seniors strategy;
- $32 million to continue to implement initiatives from the Stevenson Review and strengthen long-term care for Manitoba seniors and their families;
- More than $11 million for increasing nursing enrolment in Manitoba’s post-secondary institutions;
- $812 million in continued capital commitment for rural and northern health care under the five-year Manitoba’s Clinical and Preventative Services Plan; and
- $630 million for ongoing COVID-19 response and other contingencies.
On top of the new funds being spent in the budget, the Province also continues to work on more of the initiatives put forth by the task force that was set up last year to help reduce the backlog of surgeries and diagnostic tests.
The budget will include over $390 Million in investments this year alone.
In the years to come, the province will also invest $812 million to build, expand and fix healthcare facilities in all regions of the province. This will include building new hospitals in Portage la Prairie and Neepawa, along with expanding facilities in Morden-Winkler, Brandon, Steinbach, Selkirk and Dauphin
For more on the Manitoba Provincial Budget head to the province’s website here.
