HSA Welcomes BC Health Human Resources Plan
As health science professionals across the province continue to report critical staffing shortages, crushing workload, and increasing concern about how they can maintain a high standard of care for patients, HSA welcomes the introduction of a health human resources strategy today by Health Minister Adrian Dix and Advanced Education Minister Anne Kang.
“HSA members have reached their breaking point. This action plan provides a promise that there is light at the end of the tunnel,” HSA President Kane Tse said.
“The government has correctly identified the keys to improvement: retention, redesign, recruitment and training,” Tse said.
In current contract negotiations for BC’s health science professionals, HSA negotiators are working to address barriers to recruitment and retention, including lagging wage rates and staffing shortages.
A recent survey of HSA members found that almost half of health science professional working in the public health care are considering leaving their jobs.
For example, at one lower mainland hospital, the respiratory therapy department of 80 has seen 24 people leave the job in the last two years – this during a pandemic, where respiratory therapists were on the front lines keeping critically ill patients breathing.
“Today’s announcement is an important acknowledgement of the severity of the staffing crisis in health care. In the past several months we’ve seen elements of the plan put into place with increased training spaces for health science professionals and other health care workers. We look forward to working with government to support additional steps to improve the public health care system for health care providers and patients,” Tse said.