Ontario Lab Technologists Require Assistance ImmediatelyOntario laboratory technologists are speaking out about their working conditions and the crisis in the health care system which has been exacerbated by the pandemic. In speaking to CTV News on September 11, Michelle Hoad, president of the Medical Laboratory Professionals' Association of Ontario, made it clear that immediate assistance is needed. She reported that 92 per cent of lab technologists are working overtime and 97 per cent of labs are short-staffed. Over 66 per cent have not been able to take vacation. The association also found that 87 per cent of their members are experiencing burnout and almost half, 42 per cent, are contemplating leaving their jobs. On top of that 41 per cent will be eligible to retire within the next two to four years. To add to the crisis, U.S. companies are offering signing bonuses of $10,000 to $20,000 to entice workers to leave Ontario. The association has made a concrete proposal to the Ontario government on how to solve the problem. They are calling for a $3.6 million investment over three years to train more lab technologists by creating clinical placements for students. They are calling for an investment of $2.6 million over three years for labs in rural remote areas in Northern Ontario. Lastly they ask for the province to develop a simulation laboratory, a training laboratory where students get hands-on experience, focussing on rural, remote and northern communities. The pandemic and the government's response has exposed and exacerbated problems in the health care system that require solutions. By speaking out about their working conditions and making their demands, health care workers are defending not only their own rights but the rights of all.
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