Manitoba government has issued a directive to Prairie Mountain Health to reduce spending on for-profit nursing agencies by 15% by March 2026, as part of a broader initiative to prioritize investment in the public healthcare system.
Health, Seniors, and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced the move, emphasizing the province’s commitment to shifting resources back to publicly funded nursing.
“Prairie Mountain Health has consistently been dealt a bad hand,” Asagwara said.
“Alongside the challenges in the area, the previous government gave the region little to no support by cutting services, closing ERs, and firing nurses, resulting in millions overspent on private nursing agencies. Enough is enough. It’s time to put a hard stop on private for-profit nursing agency over-spending and reinvest in the public system.”
The directive aligns with Manitoba’s broader healthcare strategy to attract and retain nurses in the public sector, ensuring that resources are directed toward frontline healthcare workers and their patients.
To further these efforts, the Manitoba government recently closed a request for proposals aimed at reducing the number of contracted private agencies and ensuring that pricing structures prioritize public sector healthcare funding. Officials will begin reviewing and evaluating the proposals this week.
Historically, Manitoba has held hundreds of contracts with more than 70 private for-profit nursing agencies. Critics have pointed to a lack of policies to regulate these contracts, which have driven up costs and impacted public sector nursing stability.
The move to curtail for-profit nursing costs is expected to free up significant funds for reinvestment in public healthcare services, potentially improving job security and working conditions for nurses in Manitoba’s healthcare system.
