Health care is a priority for premier-designate Wab Kinew and the new Manitoba New Democratic Party (NDP) government, all with the assistance from one U of M professor.
Kinew announced the transition advisory team on Oct. 6. The team will provide guidance during the initial transitionary days of the new government. One member of his advisory team is doctor and U of M professor, Dr. Eric Jacobsohn.
Jacobsohn is a professor of anesthesiology, pain and perioperative medicine at the Max Rady college of medicine and is a cardiac anesthesiologist and intensive care unit physician. In his 37 years of frontline medical service, Jacobsohn has been an “outspoken critic” of Manitoba’s health-care operations for the medical community.
Through his advocacy, Jacobsohn believes that premier-designate Kinew is the person to begin to change the culture of the health care system.
“I personally believe that a year from now we can see a very different health care system,” said Jacobsohn.
“I would not be doing this, if I didn’t passionately believe that it was possible.”
Currently, as part of Kinew’s transition team, Jacobsohn is examining the short, medium and long-term health-care decisions. His goal is for Manitobans to begin to see positive results within the system.
“I honestly believe with the vision that he has, the willingness to listen and the buy-in that he has across the province, I think he can make a dramatic difference and I hope I can help him,” he said.
Jacobsohn said Kinew knows the importance of “team based caring.” In order for team-based health care to be successful in the province, Jacobson and Kinew recognize the role of a significant increase in the number of training positions for students and the importance of the students themselves getting the training they need.
“I think we are at the dawning of what is going to be a new era as a student in health care,” said Jacobsohn.
Outside of training, Jacobsohn noted that Kinew has prioritized “excellence in health care” through the “creation of new knowledge,” which he said will be possible with further funding of health care research.
Jacobsohn believes that Manitoba “can and will be the envy of most provinces,” through the creation of a funding model for health care scientists.
To a large extent, Manitoba “has become a ‘fly over’ place” when it comes to health and sciences research, said Jacobsohn. For students interested in those fields, however, under the working plan “it’s going to be a ‘fly to’ place.”
Kinew expressed his gratitude for each member of the transition team providing input from multiple different fields in an email statement to the Manitoban.
“It is with this broad range of experience, from different parts of the province, that our new government will begin to move forward on implementing our platform and making good on the promises we made to Manitobans.”
