April 16, 2009
New Legislation Would Strengthen Governance Of Health Professions, Enhance Patient Safety: Oswald
Updated, modern legislation would ensure all health professions in Manitoba are governed by consistent, uniform regulations with an enhanced focus on patient safety and accountability, Health Minister Theresa Oswald said today, following the introduction of the Regulated Health Professions Act.
“After consulting with over 60 organizations and individuals, we are introducing legislation that would create consistent regulation for all health professions and support the highest possible standards for patient safety,” said Oswald. “Modernizing legislation builds on the first-class care Manitoba’s health professionals deliver each day and reinforces our commitment to the highest standards for patient care.”
A number of provinces have moved to implement uniform regulation of health professions. The minister said Manitoba’s new legislation would strengthen the work already being done by health professionals’ regulatory bodies. There are currently 22 health professions in Manitoba that are governed by 21 separate pieces of legislation.
The legislation introduced today would:
· further strengthen patient safety by ensuring all regulatory bodies establish standards of practice, codes of ethics and competency standards;
· improve patient safety by regulating more clinical procedures;
· create consistent and fair complaint and disciplinary processes across all professional colleges;
· increase public representation on the boards of self-governing professions;
· provide improved accountability between the regulatory bodies and the government;
· establish a process to review requests from unregulated professions that wish to become self‑governing; and
· allow health professions to continue to be self-regulating.
Health professions were invited to provide input into the proposed legislation in January and were integral partners in crafting the proposed changes, said the minister.
“The College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba actively participated in the process which led to the development of this legislation and we commend the government for being open to this consultative approach,” said the college’s president Kathy Doerksen, a registered nurse. “The legislation provides for openness, transparency and public participation in the regulation of health professions. This practice has served our college well to date and we are encouraged that Manitobans will be the ultimate beneficiaries of this approach as we look ahead.”
Patient safety advocates have advised the new legislation would further strengthen patient safety measures in the province, the minister noted.
“After participating in the province’s consultation, we’re pleased to see that the issues of patient safety, accountability and transparency are the cornerstone of this legislation,” said Laurie A. Thompson, executive director of the Manitoba Institute for Patient Safety. “This legislation will help Manitobans gain a better understanding of patient safety issues and the mechanisms that are in place to protect their interests.”
Oswald noted the new legislation would support the requirements of the Fair Registration Practices in Regulated Professions Act and ensure that all health professions in the province are compliant. Compliance would include requiring that regulatory bodies adopt fair, transparent, objective and impartial registration practices, and providing for a registration appeal process.
The minister said the legislation would reflect the province’s commitment to labour mobility by ensuring professions comply with Chapter 7 of the Agreement on Internal Trade.
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