'Momentum' building to turn around P.E.I.'s fragile health-care system, CEO says at AGM

Health P.E.I.'s CEO says while the Island has made "tremendous" gains in bringing in more health-care staff, it's still not enough — but "momentum" is building to put P.E.I. in a better position.

The theme throughout Melanie Fraser’s speech at Health P.E.I.’s annual general meeting was that the provincial health authority is gaining traction across the system, particularly when it comes to recruiting staff. The agency’s budget now exceeds $1 billion and is expected to continue climbing.

All provinces, however, are locked in a recruiting battle for the limited number of new health-care graduates in Canada.

A study published in January of this year through Health Canada showed that there are roughly 1,300 family physicians graduating each year in Canada, despite a national shortage of more than 22,800.

The same study, referencing latest data from 2022, showed the nationwide need for approximately 14,000 more licensed practical nurses (with 6,300 yearly graduates), 2,700 more nurse practitioners (550 yearly graduates) and 28,000 more registered nurses (9,000 yearly graduates).

Health P.E.I. has made strides in filling the gaps on the Island , Fraser said, adding that it's been "hand-to-hand combat out in the field on this war on talent, and we're winning."

Breaking into tears, Fraser thanked staff close to her and health-care workers across the province.

"I am so immensely grateful to our staff. You demonstrate courage, compassion, resilience and unwavering commitment — even in the face of significant challenge," she said.

"Your courage, your work brings me to tears … We're one Island. We're one health-care system, we have to be one team. It's up to us, and we succeed together. We saw how fragile it could be. It's better. Let's keep going."

At the meeting, Fraser and Health Minister Mark McLane were questioned on how much progress was actually being made.

Morgan Oatway, a registered nurse at the Prince County Hospital, said there's been "diminished" senior staffing in the ICU.

When she joined 15 years ago, she said she was mentored by nurses with 20 and 30 years of critical care experience. Now, she said recent graduates "only two or three years out of school" are training other new grads.

"When we're not able to mentor appropriately, we lose those staff members after a very short time," she said in an interview. "Acute care is very very difficult. We work weekends, nights, holidays, and it's very hard to keep people in those acute-care facilities."

She also said the PCH has seen a jump in the number of travel nurses filling shifts. Health P.E.I. is expected to spend nearly $11.2 million on travel nurses and allied health professionals into 2026. The budget for just travel nurses five years ago was around $28,000 .