Saskatchewan wants Philippine health workers

MANILA, Philippines — The Canadian province of Saskatchewan seeks to hire hundreds of healthcare workers from the Philippines over the next two years, Canada’s Ministry of Health said yesterday.

The ministry said this is part of its plan to recruit, train, incentivize and retain more healthcare professionals to strengthen its provincial healthcare system.

“We want to spread the word to healthcare workers in the Philippines that our province is a place of great opportunity,” Saskatchewan’s Health Minister Paul Merriman said.

Saskatchewan is negotiating a memorandum of understanding with the Philippine government for the recruitment of Filipino healthcare professionals. The MOU will focus on ethical recruitment and transparency in labor force development.

“We offer many full-time jobs and support for internationally trained healthcare professionals in several occupations, including registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, continuing care assistants and medical laboratory assistants. We would love to welcome into our friendly Saskatchewan communities healthcare workers from the Philippines who are interested in coming to work and live here along with their families,” he said.

Saskatchewan is the first province in Canada to pilot an accelerated training and assessment pathway for eligible nursing recruits from the Philippines.