Manitoba government orders health authority to cut its use of private nurses

The Manitoba government has ordered a regional health authority to cut the amount of money its spends on private-agency nurses by 15 per cent by March of next year.Premier Wab Kinew says Prairie Mountain Health, which covers a large portion of western Manitoba, has been using more-costly private nurses and must focus more on nurses in the public health system.The NDP government promised to address a shortage of health-care professionals during the 2023 election campaign, and has budgeted more money for wage increases and new hires.