More beds coming to HSC as part of budget: province

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara makes an announcement at Health Sciences Centre on April 8, 2024. (Image source: Jamie Dowsett/CTV News Winnipeg)

Manitoba’s biggest hospital will be getting more beds as a result of the province’s budget.

Premier Wab Kinew and Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced 50 new beds will be coming to the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg over the next two years to help expand capacity.

“HSC has the busiest emergency department in the province, it is our busiest hospital,” Asagwara said. “These new beds will help ease the pressures and strains and the overcrowding that we've been seeing in our emergency rooms.”

Of the new beds, 35 will be medicine beds, 10 will be psychiatric beds and five beds will be for surgeries. Asagwara said 27 of the 50 beds are already in operation.

“We know we need to add beds, which means adding staffing,” Kinew said. “This is not just something like flicking the light switch and then it happens overnight. This is something that takes careful planning. It takes compassionate leadership to be able to convince people to remain on the front lines, it takes efforts in terms of recruitment. And of course, it takes the long-term strategic vision to be able to shepherd and stickhandle these beds coming online as part of an overall effort to improve health care in our great province.”

According to the province, $65 million is being spent to add beds and staff to hospitals to help reduce wait times.

Grace Hospital is working to open 31 new medical and surgical beds, including 10 as part of a family medicine program being created at the hospital. The province said and 36 beds will be opening at St. Boniface Hospital.