Manitoba premier says some rural hospitals to close, be converted to care homes
WINNIPEG — Premier Brian Pallister says some hospitals in rural Manitoba will be closed or converted into personal care homes as part of the Progressive Conservative government’s plan to reform health care.
The province is dealing with an aging population, some rural communities are shrinking, and people who could be in a personal care home are instead in hospital in some cases, Pallister said in a year-end news conference Thursday.
“A lot of beds are being taken — I don’t like hearing seniors referred to as bed-blockers, but that’s the phrase that’s being used out there,” he said.
“So we know part of the solution is (personal care homes), but we also know part of the solution is better care available to people so they can stay in their own home, too.”