B.C. allocates $155.7 million to recruit and retain healthcare workers

The province says it is spending more money to recruit, retain and train health-care workers through an inventive program.

Health Minister Adrian Dix announced that $155.7 million will be set aside for these initiatives, including up to $73.1 million in expanding the provincial rural retention incentive and providing signing bonuses for those who fill high-needs vacancies.

Dix says people working in eligible communities, represented by the Health Sciences Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA/HSA), Facilities Bargaining Association (FBA) and Community Bargaining Association (CBA) will receive an incentive, totalling up to $8,000 per year per person.

“These recruitment incentives will support bringing in net new allied health and clinical support healthcare workers to fill vacancies, ensuring more people around BC can access the care that they need,” he said.

He says with the increase in population, more healthcare workers are needed in the province.

The province says it’s also providing up to $15 million over three years for mentorship programs, peer support and transition-to-practice support for new entrants in healthcare — including new graduates, and internationally educated professionals.

Norah Miner, labour relations coordinator of the Health Sciences Association of BC says shortages in health science professionals have built up within the system for a long time.

“These shortages were made worse by provincial governments who failed to act on warnings that we have sounded in the past, so it will take some years to undo that neglect to these special, digitalized services within the healthcare system,” she said.

“These initiatives will make a real difference and will move us further in the right direction.”

Jennifer Rice, Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health says incentivizing allied health professionals to practice regionally can improve access to medical services.

“It means people won’t have to travel as far for medical services, improving access to care and health equity for people living in rural and remote areas across B.C.,” she said.

The province says up to $7.6 million will be provided for “training initiatives, including tuition credits, bursaries to offset licensing exam fees for new graduates and new employer-sponsored earn-and-learn opportunities.”

Kane Tse, president of the Health Sciences Association (HSA) says he hears from healthcare workers about the “dire shortages and crushing workload” in the healthcare industries every day.

“HSA welcomes these initiatives, developed by Health Minister Adrian Dix and his team after many front-line meetings. We believe they will help increase health-science professional recruitment in rural communities and in urban facilities facing the most severe shortages,” he said.