St. John’s, N.L. (November 1, 2024) – Barry Petten, PC Shadow Minister for Health and MHA for Conception Bay South, has expressed significant concerns following the release of alarming new data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

The Taking Pulse 2024 report reveals significant insights into health workforce recruitment across Canada, focusing on indicators such as the movement of family physicians and nurses into and out of the workforce. According to the data, Newfoundland and Labrador led the country in the net loss of family physicians, with fewer practitioners entering the workforce than leaving. This attrition rate is nearly triple that of the province with the next highest loss, despite a national increase in family physicians overall. The report quantifies Newfoundland and Labrador’s net rate as a loss of 0.88 general practitioners per 10,000 residents in 2021-22, equating to an estimated net loss of one physician for every 11,200 residents.

“We have been told for years now that this Liberal government is working hard to recruit physicians that we so desperately need, yet the data shows what they have done – and what they are doing simply is not working,”said Petten.

“Those with regular access to a general practitioner in this province is at the second worst rate in the country, 5 per cent below the national average, yet we still see the immense failures to rectify the crisis.”

The report also indicates a lackluster effort to recruit nurses to offset those leaving the system, with the fourth lowest rate measured in Canada. This rate was a 0.59 net gain per 10,000 residents in 2022, nearly ten times less than what was seen in Prince Edward Island.

“The Liberal government has no problem with spending millions on travel nursing companies to fill human resource gaps; yet again, their efforts fall short of what the people of this province need and continue to do so,” continued Petten.

“We hear all the time that our graduating nurses are having difficulty receiving a job, yet data shows abysmal recruitment; this government simply is not up to the task. Others are succeeding, while this Liberal government persistently falls behind.”

A PC government led by Tony Wakeham would call for a review of healthcare recruitment strategies in the province, with those entering a relevant program being offered a job on their way into their studies, not on their way out.