Province extends agreements with private clinics

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This article was published 03/04/2024 (606 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba’s health minister scrambled Wednesday to reassure patients the government didn’t just allow contracts with private clinics, which perform vital procedures such as hernia and knee surgeries, to lapse on March 31.

Uzoma Asagwara was forced to explain late Wednesday that such service agreements are being extended, after the Official Opposition demanded to know the state of the contracts.

“Why is this NDP government so bent on prioritizing its politics over patients?” Progressive Conservative health critic Kathleen Cook asked during question period.

She questioned the government’s commitment to patients over its support for public health care, as well as the need to reduce huge surgical and diagnostic procedure backlogs.

“Several physicians have reached out to me to share their concerns regarding an agreement set to expire at the end of March for additional orthopedic surgery at Maples Surgical Centre. (There’s been) no word from this NDP government on an extension,” Cook told the house.

It is one of many agreements signed under the now-disbanded diagnostic and surgical recovery task force that had a direct effect on patients getting care in Manitoba faster, Cook said.

“First they stopped patients from going out of province for care, now they’re stopping patients from getting care here in Manitoba,” she said in the house.

After forming government in October, the NDP scrapped the diagnostic and surgical recovery task force, which had been established by the Tories to address the pandemic-related backlog and long wait times, and put a stop to any referrals for out-of-province surgeries.

The plan was to build up capacity in Manitoba rather than spend money for out-of-province services.

In an interview late Wednesday, the health minister said the government is extending service agreements with private service providers but was waiting for the provincial budget to be made public on Tuesday.

“Since the budget’s been announced, we’ve been able to have those conversations with different service providers and let them know their agreements are being extended and they’re ongoing,” the health minister said.

Asagwara pointed to record health spending in the NDP’s first budget that includes $50 million for innovation to increase surgical capacity and tackle backlogs.

The release of the budget has allowed the government to start talking to service providers about how to increase the number of surgeries in Manitoba, the minister said.

“Our priority is working with our private partners in our public system to improve capacity here in our province.”

Asagwara said they were “excited” to continue to work with the Maples Surgical Centre and other service providers do that in a sustainable way.

The task force — that had been criticized for prioritizing private contracts over investments in the public system — planned to continue to use a combination of private contracts and existing public resources to eliminate backlogs and reduce long wait times.

On Wednesday, the health minister said the province had no plan to cut ties to private clinics.

“The work continues in terms of working with service providers across the province to make sure that we’re continuing to invest in strengthening health care here at home.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca