Government says progress is being made on the recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals in the province.

One of the hot topics in the House of Assembly this year has been the physician shortage, the the opposition making calls for government to admit that it is a crisis.

Health Minister John Haggie says people argue endlessly about numbers but he doesn’t think that’s what people care about, they just want to know that when they are sick, the right person will be there to meet their needs.

Haggie says that’s the direction government is going, but he does admit that they need to do better with recruitment.

He points to a number of initiatives currently underway to help with that, including a recruitment and retention secretariat, and education programs such as increasing enrollment for LPNs and PCAs – which are trained locally.

He says they need to identify people who want to work in those types of careers, nurture them, and make it a competitive environment for them to stay here.