Manitoba NDP promise new personal care beds for seniors

The Manitoba NDP say they will create 1,000 more beds in personal care homes for seniors if the party is re-elected.

Leader Greg Selinger says the party would also fund a new research chair in palliative care and create new hospice beds.

He says the NDP would improve home care by extending respite hours and boosting after-hours services.

Selinger says voting for the Progressive Conservatives would mean privatization and layoffs for front-line workers.

RAW: Manitoba NDP promise new personal care beds for seniors

9 years ago

Duration 0:45

The Manitoba NDP say they will create 1,000 more beds in personal care homes for seniors if the party is re-elected.

The Tories say the NDP has had plenty of time to create more personal care home beds and there are more than 1,200 people waiting.

The PCs say the Selinger government has built 20 personal care home beds a year while in office, compared to 90 beds a year during the previous decade.

Selinger disputes PC claim.

"They are wrong, just to start off, to put the record right, it's been about 570 units—about 6.5 per cent increase," he said.

"Whatever 10 year period you want to take we've done a better job than they did and we didn't try to privatize home care along the way."

The NDP could not give a timeline as to when they would create the 1,000 new personal care beds but said the beds would be available for patients within the next four years.