In today’s message you will find:
- 2023 Doctors Manitoba Award Winners Announced!
- CMA Election Closes March 8
- Physician(s) of the Week
- Black History Month
- Expanded Scope of Practice for Physiotherapists
- Respiratory Virus Updates
- Health System Bulletins
- ICYMI
- Events
2023 Doctors Manitoba Award Winners Announced!
Today we announced the winners of the 2023 Doctors Manitoba Awards. This year’s group of nine dedicated physicians are being recognized for outstanding achievements, groundbreaking research, and a focus on improving care for their patients.
“We are celebrating nine inspiring physicians for their diverse accomplishments in patient care, research, education and leadership,” said Dr. Candace Bradshaw, President of Doctors Manitoba.“Our 2023 Doctors Manitoba award recipients have made a lasting mark on medicine here at home and on the national and international stages, and a lasting impact on the patients they serve.”
Join us in congratulating this year’s honourees, who include the following courageous and committed physicians:
Physician of the Year, Dr. Ryan Zarychanski for his truly groundbreaking work leading world-wide efforts to rapidly identify effective COVID-19 treatments.
Humanitarian, Dr. Tamara McColl who has dedicated the last year to supporting the Ukrainian community here in Manitoba and on several medical relief missions to Ukraine.
Distinguished Service, Dr. Maggie Morris who has offered nearly 40 years of service as a physician, educator, and leader in Women’s Health.
Resident of the Year, Dr. Alwyn Gomez an exceptional neurosurgery resident with a deep passion for research and for supporting his fellow learners.
Medal of Excellence, Dr. Biniam Kidane a thoracic and foregut surgeon and clinician-scientist who is a leader in minimally-invasive procedures and found innovative ways to avoid disruptions in care during the pandemic for his vulnerable patients.
Medal of Excellence, Dr. Courtney Leary the first physician to be raised in and now serving the people of Norway House Cree Nation, a physician leader, and a strong advocate for health care in her community.
Medal of Excellence, Dr. Katherine Kearns and Dr. Christina Raimondi who worked together to establish The Winnipeg Breastfeeding Centre to support the overwhelming need for help new families need with infant feeding.
Medal of Excellence, Dr. Michael Loudon a champion for physician health who has dedicated over 15 years to his colleagues health while maintaining a busy rural family medicine practice.
Read the full bios about each award winner and their accomplishments here.
The Doctors Manitoba awards are the highest honour bestowed upon physicians in the province. Award recipients are nominated by their physician peers and selected after a thorough evaluation by the Awards Committee.
“While Manitoba grapples with a record physician shortage, these physicians are showing that doctors can thrive in our province if they have the right support and funding,” added Dr. Bradshaw.
SAVE THE DATE! Tickets for this year’s Doctors Manitoba Awards Gala on May 13 will go on sale soon!
CMA Election Closes March 8
This year, it’s Manitoba’s turn to elect the next President. Voting for the next CMA President is open until 4:30pm CST, March 8, 2023. The four candidates include Dr. Cory Baillie, Dr. Anthony Battad, Dr. José François, and Dr. Joss Reimer.
Voting emails with instructions and login information were sent to all current CMA/DMB members on February 22. We have set up a page with information about how to ensure you are a current CMA member along with information about each candidate. Check it out here.
The CMA hosted a Meet the Candidates Forum on February 13. A recording is available to watch on-demand here.
Physician(s) of the Week
A leader in HIV & addictions treatment, our Physician of the Week Dr. David Willems has cared for underserved communities at Nine Circles and Klinic Community Health Centres for over 20 years. What drew him to the profession was solving the many puzzles of medicine and exploring diagnostics and treatment options. What ultimately motivates and inspires him are patients’ stories of resilience, resistance, and solidarity in the face of relentlessly unjust circumstances and systems. Read more about Dr. Willems.
Last week Dr. Sara Dunsmore was featured as our Physician of the Week. A Nephrologist at SOGH, Dr. Dunsmore goes above and beyond to break down the barriers to care. Frustrated with the bureaucracy that kept peritoneal dialysis patients from Nunavut far from home to receive life-saving treatment, Dr. Dunsmore successfully lobbied to have the treatment accessible in the region of Kivalliq, Nunavut, allowing patients to be dialyzed close to home . Read more about Dr. Dunsmore!
For 2023, Doctors Manitoba has established a new way to recognize dedicated and hardworking physicians. Our Physician of the Week initiative has been recognizing physicians weekly. They exemplify the best of the medical profession, including a commitment to delivering exceptional patient care, to supporting the health and wellness of their colleagues, and/or to leadership in the medical profession.
→ Suggest a colleague as Physician of the Week here.
→ Read about other Physicians of the Week so far this year here.
Black History Month
In February we celebrated Black History Month by encouraging everyone to learn about and celebrate the many accomplishments and contributions Black Canadians have made and continue to make that impact our country’s history and cultural landscape, including in medicine. Black History Month is also a time to identify and work to break down the many barriers Black Canadians face. Access to health services, health outcomes, and medical experiences are different for BIPOC (Black Indigenous and Persons of Colour). Doctors Manitoba joins Shared Health in committing to disrupt racism for patients and professionals in the health-care system. It’s important that we take opportunities year round to create inclusive spaces & learn more about the experiences of Black Canadians.
We celebrated Black physicians, learned how to make the profession more diverse and inclusive, and we shared the stories of two exceptional Black physicians who are making a notable impact in our profession and the health care system.
Dr. Sabrina Lee sought a hands-on career“harnessing skills fueled by science to help others”. The combination of her passion for social justice and her love of surgery drew her to specialize in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She wants to do her part to improve the inequities and disparities based on gender. She feels that people from traditionally excluded groups often carry heavy loads of“equity, diversity and inclusion” type of work and may“feel a certain responsibility to give back and lift the community up even at the expense of our own balance or learning.”
Dr. Joel Nkosi believes that a person’s lack of exposure, education, or lived experience can foster intolerance, which he says, “comes more naturally than acceptance.” After two decades of practice, he says he is still“fascinated by the jigsaw puzzle nature of the diagnostic process and how unique it can be from one patient to the next with a similar diagnosis.”
Last year we celebrated Black History Month with stories about two of Manitoba’s Black physicians including trailblazer Dr. June James and rural IMG Dr. Chukwuma Abara.
Expanded Scope of Practice for Physiotherapists
We have been notified that the College of Physiotherapists of Manitoba (CPM) is moving forward to bring the practice of physiotherapy under The Regulated Health Professions Act.
The CPM seeks to expand the scope of practice for physiotherapists to include ordering X‑rays for the purpose of making a physiotherapy diagnosis. As present, a physiotherapist must send the patient to another health care professional (including a physician) entitled to order X‑rays.
It is proposed that this expanded scope of practice would be limited to physiotherapists who undertake further postgraduate education. This expanded scope of practice is currently in place only in Alberta.
The CPM says this will result in swifter and more convenient care for patients, and more effective use of imaging studies. The question of payment by Manitoba Health for X‑rays ordered by physiotherapists is not resolved. If granted, other health care professions (i.e. chiropractors) may be encouraged to seek a similar expansion of their scope of practice.
What do you think? Send your thoughts to our General Counsel Andrew Swan (aswan@doctorsmanitoba.ca or 204−985−5860) by March 31, 2023.
Respiratory Virus Updates
Surveillance Update
Manitoba Public Health produces a weekly report on respiratory viruses. Below are highlights from this week’s report.
COVID Surveillance
This week’s report covers the week ending February 25. The report shows increased activity for COVID compared to recent weeks. There were increases in cases and testing positive rate. COVID-19 associated hospital admissions also increased. Note that the incidence rate in people aged 80 years and older increased in the last two weeks. Overall, laboratory detection decreased from the fall of 2022. Highlights include:
There were 56 hospital admissions, up significantly from 36 when we reported two weeks ago following a continued steady decline over the last several weeks. This week included 9 ICU admissions, up from 5 two weeks ago. Weekly hospital admissions last peaked at 264 in the week ending April 16, 2022.
There were 3 COVID deaths recorded over the last week.
There were 124 lab-confirmed cases reported in Manitoba, up from 108 two weeks ago .
The test positivity rate was 12.6%, down from two weeks ago.
Wastewater surveillance data up to February 21 indicated sustained activity of COVID-19 in Winnipeg and Brandon at lower levels.
Influenza & RSV
This week’s report shows similar influenza activity. Highlights include:
Test positivity for influenza A was 0.1% this week, down slightly from 0.5% two weeks ago. The predominant strain circulating right now is still Influenza A (H3N2), with 1 lab confirmed case and there are no cases of Influenza B reported. For the flu season the total cases of Influenza A is 2,626 and Influenza B is only 4.
There were no hospital admissions as a result of flu/RSV.
There were 1,369 respiratory related visits to EDs in the province this week, up from 1,361 two weeks ago.
RSV is also circulating with a 5.7% test positivity rate, up from 4.8% two weeks ago.
Health System Bulletins
STI Medications Now Available in eChart Manitoba
Manitoba Public Health and Shared Health (Digital Health) are launching a new initiative to improve health care provider access to treatment information for patients diagnosed with, or suspected to have, sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Effective March 2, 2023, STI treatments reported by health care providers or administered by Public Health will be transferred into patient medication records in eChart. For more details, visit the eChart FAQ site. Get more information on the announcement here.
The CPD Medicine Program is working to better meet the evolving needs of health care professionals in Manitoba, and they need your help. Your candid and thoughtful input is the foundation for the design of CPD activities in Manitoba, and helps us identify knowledge gaps or additional skills that will improve every part of your practice, including consults. At the end of the survey you will have the option to enter to win 5 CPD program registrations for the 2023/2024 academic year, to a maximum value of $500. Your responses are completely anonymous – entering the draw is optional and entries are collected separately. The survey closes Monday March 13, 2023.Take the survey here.
If you have any questions please contact Carole Marshall, CPD Education Specialist, at carole.marshall@umanitoba.ca or 431−338−5272.
Health Card Changes Now in Effect
A few weeks ago we let you know about changes to the format of the Family Registration Number from six numerical characters to six alphanumeric characters (e.g. A12345). This change affects only NEW Family Registration Numbers. Any current numbers will remain unchanged and Manitoba Health cards will continue to look the same as they do today. This change only affects the six-digit Family Registration Numbers, not the nine-digit Persona Health Identification Numbers.
This week the government announced new supports for seniors to live healthier, more connected, independent lives with a promise of diverse programing investments to complement key initiatives in the New Seniors Strategy. With the release of Manitoba, A Great Place to Age: Provincial Seniors Strategy, the Manitoba government highlighted several initiatives that will support more Manitobans at home and in the community to live fulfilling and empowered lives.These programs will received increased funding:
Self and Family Managed Care (SFMC) Program
Palliative care services
Rainbow Resource Centre’s Over the Rainbow Program
Habitat for Humanity Manitoba
Additional investments and programs in line with the seven strategic focus areas will be announced in the coming weeks.
Government Funding to Address Chronic Homelessness
The Manitoba government unveiled a new strategy for addressing homelessness that will provide $126 million to fund up to 700 new social housing units this year and introduce new wrap-around services to help those experiencing homelessness.
ICYMI
More funding to address the physician shortage was announced two weeks ago.
Premiers announced they would accept the federal funding offer.
Following our advocacy, the province announced a new Joint Task Force to Reduce Physician Administrative Burden
We’ve got Important Reminders for Virtual Visits, most notably a reminder that it is individual physicians’ responsibility to meet the requirements for both Manitoba Health billing and CPSM standards.
Events
Upcoming events are always listed on our events calendar.
Featured Events
MD Financial Management — Tax filing information session — March 16 at 6:00pm
We know that everyone’s taxes involve different, very specific considerations and are here to help you with physician-focused advice. Join us for our annual information session on March 16, which will feature our partners at MNP LLP, a leading national accounting, tax and business consulting firm. Topics will include:
deadlines for tax filings and payments
deductions that may be available for physicians and family members
RRSP contributions and withdrawals
the new TFSA limits and contributions
financial planning opportunities to consider
Hold the Date for the 2023 Doctors Manitoba AGM on Thursday, May 11
This year’s hybrid AGM will include a vote on foundational changes to our by-laws. The aim is to strengthen our decision making, ensuring members are at the heart of everything we do. The changes also seek to modernize our governance, including supporting a Board that is more inclusive and representative of our broader member, including members’ professional and personal attributes. All attendees will be entered into a door prize draw for a $500 Visa Gift Card.
Other Events
Income Tax Changes for 2023
(sponsored content from MD Financial)
With tax season bearing down on us, it’s a good time to review the major personal income tax changes for 2023 — especially since many of them could help you save money. Here’s a rundown of the adjusted tax figures, as well as some new tax claims and rules taking effect this year.