More Manitobans now have their own doctor: Blady

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This article was published 15/06/2015 (4073 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Selinger government says it’s well on its way to fulfilling a promise that all Manitobans will have access to a doctor by 2015.

In a statement today Health Minister Sharon Blady said that almost 29,000 more Manitobans have been linked to a family physician or nurse practitioner since 2013, and that the NDP remain committed that all remaining Manitobans will have access to a doctor by the end of this year. The NDP made the pledge in the throne speech the year before the 2011 election campaign.

“We have a record number of doctors in Manitoba, which is allowing more and more Manitobans to have their own family doctor,” Blady said. “We committed that every Manitoban who wanted a family doctor would have access to one this year and I’m pleased to report we are making good progress on fulfilling that promise.”

In 2013, Manitoba Health, Healthy Living and Seniors launched the Family Doctor Finder pilot program as an easier way to find a family doctor.

Blady said the Family Doctor Finder program has matched between 80 to 85 per cent of registrants without a provider within 30 days of registration, with many people being matched sooner.

Since July of 2014, more than two-thirds of people who registered with the program were matched with a doctor within five days. To date, nearly 29,000 Manitobans, representing 96 per cent of all registrants without a provider, have found a family doctor or nurse practitioner through the program.

The program has also connected more than 4,800 people who already had a family doctor with a new primary-care provider, the minister said.

Blady added to fine tune the service, representatives from the Family Doctor Finder program will be contacting a number of Manitobans who have used the program to get feedback on how the program can be improved.

In the most recent legislative sitting, the Opposition Progressive Conservatives have criticized Blady for doctor shortages at a number of rural hospitals and subsequent closures of a number of emergency rooms. Examples of recent temporary closures are at Melita, Roblin and Altona.

Blady has responded that the government’s goal is that all ERs in Manitoba be open 100 per cent of the time.

She also said the province is recruiting doctors to rural and northern areas including more international medical graduates.

She has said the province and its regional health authorities brought new international medical graduates to Swan River, Morris, Killarney, Gillam, Thompson, Ashern, Garden Hill, Pine Falls, Russell, Gladstone and Vita.