Newfoundland and Labrador has a shortage of radiation therapists, and government officials say looking outside the country could be an option to solve that problem. On Wednesday, NAPE sounded the alarm about what they called a “critical shortage” of radiation therapists. Health Minister Tom Osborne says looking outside Canada to hire specialists is one route they can take. He notes that the medical act has been passed, which facilitates recruitment from other countries. Prime Minister Andrew Furey says these are highly skilled sectors and people don’t come in on a dime. He says they want to work with the union and training facilities to facilitate the right number of hires and any upgrading that may be required. Meanwhile, NAPE President Jerry Earle says the province needs to do a better job of retaining highly skilled medical professionals. He says the majority of workers are from out of province and when they are hired, the province needs to be competitive to keep them here. Radiation therapists are skilled workers in high demand and their numbers are small, so when you lose seven in one year, Earle says, that’s concerning.
