Stockwell Day moments

MR. KENNEDY: As of September 30 last year, there were more physicians in practice in this Province than ever before –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: - a total of 1,029 medical doctors - but we know more are needed, so we are prepared to take additional steps to advance recruitment and retention.
We will invest $663,300 this year to hire dedicated physician recruitment staff and finance marketing and advertising efforts to bring new doctors here. Once improvements are achieved in this area, the recruitment personnel will then be utilized to recruit health care professionals in other disciplines. We will also invest another $2 million to advance professional development activities in the regional health authorities and enhance their capacity to address workforce recruitment and retention needs on a more timely and efficient basis.

We will provide a further $5.1 million to enable Memorial University’s Faculty of Medicine to proceed with the second expansion of its undergraduate training program for physicians and address increased operating costs. The number of medical students Memorial trains each year will increase from sixty-four to eighty by 2011 as a result of the expansion. That represents a 25 per cent increase in the number of doctors we train right here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Mr. Speaker, I am going to do something right here that I am told is not normal, and it has not happened in the recent past, but I am going to go a little bit off script.

Mr. Speaker, government noted, after last year’s Budget Speech, that the President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Nurses’ Union stated, "What is most disappointing to me is that, while the word retention was put in there, in the Highlights document, there is not one initiative there around the retention of nurses."

It is felt, Mr. Speaker, by us as a government, that the very generous 21.5 per cent compounded salary offer over four years will help to address recruitment and retention issues for nurses. In addition, Mr. Speaker, government is further prepared to deal with recruitment and retention issues for nurses by the addition of a step at the top of the scale and the deletion of two steps at the bottom, and to increase shift differentials and standby rates.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: This is contingent, of course, on the union’s acceptance of a collective agreement, including government’s proposals on issues such as: term of contract, extended earnings loss, market adjustment letter, classification, MOU, et cetera.

Back to script, Mr. Speaker: We will also provide $1.6 million to the regional health authorities over two years to supplement tuition and relief-staff costs so Licensed Practical Nurses can receive continuing education in medication administration and health assessment, both of which will be required for LPN licensure by 2012.