Asagwara optimistic about recruiting MDs despite Tory plan’s complete failure By: Kevin Rollason Posted: 7:02 PM CDT Wednesday, Jul. 24, 2024

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A recruitment agency hired by the previous Manitoba government has failed to attract a single doctor, but the NDP government is confident in its own plan to bring 100 new physicians here by next spring.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara confirmed Canadian Health Labs, whose two-year contract to recruit 150 family doctors here was touted by the Stefanson government as a way to address shortages in Winnipeg, northern Manitoba and rural communities, has not only not recruited a single doctor to come to Manitoba in its first year, it hasn’t even found anyone interested in coming.

“(The contract) signed under the previous PC government has resulted in, unfortunately, no doctor being recruited to Manitoba,” Asagwara said Wednesday.

But the health minister, who said the government is continuing to work on its own plan to find doctors, said the province is not out any money because the agreement was to pay the company only when it found doctors willing to move to Manitoba and again when a physician moved here.

“It is very disappointing to hear the recruitment firm hasn’t yet recruited a single physician to Manitoba,” said Doctors Manitoba spokesperson Keir Johnson.

“We have long advised that the best doctor recruiters out there are our existing doctors, who can most effectively recruit their peers to Manitoba.”

Johnson said the physician advocacy organization was asked last year by Shared Health to help identify doctors’ offices needing help with recruitment.

“We shared a list of over 50 clinics with CHL requesting recruitment assistance,” he said.

“We do not know if any clinics have been contacted by CHL.”

“It is very disappointing to hear the recruitment firm hasn’t yet recruited a single physician to Manitoba.”–Doctors Manitoba spokesperson Keir Johnson

However, the health minister said the failure of the PC plan doesn’t mean the NDP’s effort to attract 100 doctors by next spring will also fall flat.

“There’s no one silver bullet to this challenge, which is why we are taking a dynamic approach to this and we’re working with as many people as possible in our recruitment and retention office to be successful,” Asagwara said.

“It is a really ambitious target — and we know that — but Manitobans deserve an ambitious government. The way we’re going to achieve that target number is through true collaboration and partnership with folks across the health-care system and by being open as a government to listen to the feedback of our partners.”

Asagwara said that has meant talking to doctors, health-care leaders, front-line health workers and municipal officials.

“Basically, anybody and everybody who is committed to working in partnership to successfully recruit doctors to Manitoba,” Asagwara said.

“Our focus is on retaining doctors first and foremost, that we have in Manitoba, training more physicians in Manitoba — which we are doing; we added 30 per cent more resident spots and all of them have been filled here in Manitoba very quickly — and the other part is recruitment. And, that means, yes, looking overseas, (and) it means possibly repatriating born-and-raised Manitobans, who were maybe educated elsewhere, and welcoming them back.”

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Asagwara wouldn’t say how many doctors the NDP has attracted to date.

A Progressive Conservative spokesperson responded to question about the CHL contract by saying the NDP is now responsible for administering the contract and is accountable for ensuring results are delivered to Manitobans.

“After nine months in office, it’s concerning the NDP has not provided details on their own physician recruitment strategy, disclosed the number of doctors they have hired or created new incentive programs to compete with other jurisdictions working to address and fill health-care shortages across Canada,” the spokesperson said.

Canadian Health Labs did not respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, Johnson said in order to help get more doctors, the province has to offer financial incentives competitive with other provinces, as well as streamlining of both recruitment and licensing processes.

“We hope to see the current government act on our advice,” he said.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca

Kevin Rollason
Reporter

Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.

Every piece of reporting Kevin produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.