Several organizations representing doctors in Manitoba gathered Thursday to show their support for the province’s plan to hire 100 new physicians this year.
The move is part of a $310-million plan to hire 1,000 health-care workers in Manitoba over the next year, announced last week in the province’s 2024-25 budget.
“This is an ambitious target. This would be the most net new physicians in a year that our province has ever seen,” Kinew said at a Thursday news conference.
“[But] we’re an ambitious bunch.”
Last year, 44 doctors were added to Manitoba’s health-care system, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara told reporters.
Historically, the highest net gain in a year was 83, they said.
“One hundred is an important number,” the health minister said. “It sends the message to Manitobans that we take very seriously the need to ensure that they have doctors in their communities.”
Representatives from Doctors Manitoba, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba, the College of Family Physicians and Shared Health spoke in favour of the province’s plan, alongside Asagwara and Kinew.
Dr. Candace Bradshaw with Doctors Manitoba, who also works as a family physician, says Manitoba has one of the most significant doctor shortages in Canada.
“We have amongst the fewest doctors per capita in the country. It would take 445 more physicians to reach the national average,” she said.
‘We can hit that number’
It wasn’t always that way, though, as Manitoba had the most doctors per capita just two decades ago, according to Bradshaw, which makes Thursday’s announcement “significant” and “long overdue.”
“It also begs the question: is it doable? We at Doctors Manitoba believe it is,” she said.
“If we can add 10 per cent more doctors than the average and lose 10 per cent fewer doctors than average, then we can hit that number.”
Kinew says retention is the first step toward adding more health-care workers to the system.
“Help is coming. We’re bringing the resources to support you … new approaches and renewed focus on the culture,” he said.
Kinew also wants to see a shift to a “solutions-based culture” in Manitoba’s health care, he said, which means meeting doctors and medical students where they’re at in order to keep or add them to the system.
“Until now, I think the approach too often in government and other sectors was, ‘No, you don’t meet the criteria, we’re going to move on.'”
Asagwara said the province is working with regional health authorities to decide how many doctors are needed.
Recruiting physicians is an “intricate process” that is becoming increasingly competitive worldwide and requires a team effort, they said.
“Today, we’re offering Manitobans a united front, a system-wide commitment from all partners to set ambitious goals and to achieve those goals,” they said.
“Together, we will work to make sure Manitobans can always find a family doctor, see a specialist and get emergency care where and when they need it.”