Manitoba hit a record for physician recruitment last year — but we’re still losing too many doctors to other provinces. If retention doesn’t improve, today’s gains risk becoming tomorrow’s shortages. That’s why you’ll see Doctors Manitoba turning up our advocacy for physician retention this year.

📉 Retention by the numbers: The data is clear — and concerning.

• Net loss: Manitoba had a net loss of 8.3 physicians per 1,000 to other provinces last year — the second worst rate in Canada (CIHI).
• Low graduate retention: Only 66% of Manitoba medical graduates stay, also among the lowest in Canada (CIHI). That means one graduate leaves for every two who remain.
• Future risk: 43% of physicians are considering reducing hours, retiring, or leaving the province within the next three years (Annual Physician Survey).

🎯 What’s new: While 2025 marked a turning point for recruitment, 2026 must be the year we stabilize the physician workforce. Retention is now the priority — not instead of recruitment, but alongside it.

👀 What we’re doing: We’re stepping up advocacy and action on strategies proven to keep physicians practicing in Manitoba. That includes:

• Reducing administrative burden by tackling referral and consultation bottlenecks, pushing for interoperable digital tools, and expanding adoption of AI scribes in all settings. 
• Pressing for investments in team-based care in a variety of physician practices.
• Strengthening physician consultation by rolling out physician engagement guidelines to improve consultation and decision-making within the system.
• Supporting the business of medicine with new tools and resources to help physicians manage professional and operational demands.

🤝 How you can help: Retention is a team effort at every career stage, and physicians can play a role too:

• Refer early career physicians, or residents in their final year, to our New to Practice program for individualized support. 
• Learn more about peer support, and how it can help physicians experiencing burnout and distress in the workplace. 
• Develop skills to build healthy workplace culture, by signing up for Inclusive Leadership and our other leadership development offerings.

📈 Yes, but: Recruitment still matters. Manitoba remains below the national average for physicians per capita.

• Specialist growth lagged last year as nearly two family physicians were added for every specialist, increasing pressure on referral pathways.
• Targeted recruitment remains essential, especially in emergency medicine rural communities and high-need specialties. Dermatology, Geriatric Medicine, Maternal Fetal Medicine, Radiology and Urology, among others, are some recent examples of areas facing critical shortages. This issue has been raised at many of specialty town halls and we will be engaging with our PSA working groups to understand where Manitoba is falling short of national/​international benchmarks needed to serve our population.

🧠 Bottom line: Recruitment is helping to reverse our physician shortage, and equally strong retention is what will sustain our progress.