Sask. finalizes mission to recruit health-care workers in Philippines

The Saskatchewan government has set the dates for a recruiting mission to Manila, Philippines to find health-care workers.

In September, the provincial government unveiled its Health Human Resources Action Plan, which proposed a trip to the Philippines to recruit health-care staff.

On Monday, the government announced the recruitment mission will begin Nov. 28.

“With a vibrant and growing Filipino-Canadian population, Saskatchewan has a strong and meaningful relationship with the Philippines,” Health Minister Paul Merriman said in a media release.

“With the co-operation and support of the Consul General of the Philippines to Canada, Mr. Zaldy Patron, this mission will allow us to engage directly with Filipino health-care workers and attract them to the province.”

The government is looking to add 1,000 health-care employees to the workforce in the province.

Starting Nov. 28, a series of workshops and information sessions will be held over five days in Manila by Saskatchewan’s delegation, which is to be led by Merriman.

Representatives from Saskatchewan’s two universities and Saskatchewan Polytechnic also are to be part of the mission, while Saskatchewan Health Authority representatives are to interview candidates.

The focus will be on the recruitment of qualified health-care workers including registered nurses, continuing care assistants and other professions.

“Our province has experienced success in welcoming Filipino nurses and other health-care workers into our workforce and our communities,” Everett Hindley — Saskatchewan’s minister of mental health and addictions, seniors and rural and remote health — said in the release.

“Saskatchewan is now home to a large and thriving Filipino community. We’re already generating a lot of interest from the Philippines in the available health-care jobs the province is currently looking to fill. We offer various incentives, settlement support and assistance to spouses in finding employment in the province.”

Saskatchewan and Philippine post-secondary institutions are to set up a framework about curriculum, alignment of nurse training programs and the development of pathways to fast-track Filipino health sciences graduates into Saskatchewan’s workforce.

An interactive web page offers residents of the Philippines details of the mission, registration for the recruitment events in Manila, and other online tools and resources.