The union representing Canadian nurses is calling on Premier Danielle Smith to take bold action to address the shortage of nurses across the province before she meets with other premiers in Halifax on Sunday.
It is an urgent request in the form of a letter The letter was addressed to all Canadian premiers and called for a coordinated strategy to finally address the crisis facing nurses.
Linda Silas is president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions.
She says nurses can only endure unhealthy and unsafe conditions for so long, and speaks of the horror stories she hears across the country.
“I heard from a nurse that there were supposed to be four nurses on his ward, but there is only one left. “Another nurse is the only permanent employee, while all the other nurses come from agencies – they are just there for that day,” Silas said.
Silas says hospitals across Canada are increasingly short-staffed when it comes to nurses, they are burned out and the country’s premiers need to take bold action.
“The premiers committed to holding a health forum when they met in the Federation Council in Winnipeg in July, and that’s what they’re doing now,” she said. “They do it behind closed doors, which is a different kind of forum, but they are there to make decisions.”
Alberta recently hired 70 nurses, but Silas says that’s just a drop in the bucket.
Ultimately, she said the best way to reach a solution was for everyone to come together.
“There is no single province or territory that can solve the problem alone, and that is the key that premiers and health ministers recognize,” Silas said. “They need to work together to develop the best strategies, work with the federal government and get the best tools to retain our nursing workforce.”
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