Diverse expertise. United in Care

Today is National Physicians’ Day, an annual day to recognize and celebrate the doctors in our communities. This year, Doctors Manitoba celebrates our physicians’ diverse personal and professional backgrounds, and the ways patient care in our province is enhanced because of them. 

“Trained here and in over 100 countries, over 3,500 world-class doctors choose to practice in Manitoba,” said Dr. Randy Guzman, President of Doctors Manitoba. ​“Doctors’ professional and personal diversity are a vital part of providing excellent medical care to patients across the province, ensuring all patients can access high quality and culturally safe medical care.”

A new video released today celebrates the diverse expertise of Manitoba’s physicians, all of whom must meet a high bar to practice in Manitoba. New data helps to showcase how the profession has changed, and how it is moving closer to reflecting the patients that doctors serve across Manitoba:

• Gender: 41% of physicians today are women, up from just 27% in 2000 and only 9% in 1970. 
• Racial and ethnic diversity: 39% identify as racially or ethnically diverse or Indigenous. This is coming closer to reflecting Manitoba’s population in which 40% identify as a visible minority or Indigenous, though it must be noted that only 5% of physicians today are Indigenous compared to 18% of the Manitoba population. 
• Geography: 25% practice in rural or northern communities
• Specialty: About half of physicians specialize in family medicine, and the other half specialize in surgical, medical or diagnostic practice.

Manitoba still needs more physicians

While Manitoba has seen its physician supply grow significantly in recent years, national reporting still shows we have the second fewest physicians per capita in the country. Doctors Manitoba continues to call for more training, recruitment, and retention efforts. 

“Recently, we have recommended focusing on recruiting doctors from the United States, with a specific call to simplify the process for U.S. physicians to transfer their license to Manitoba,” Dr. Guzman noted. ​“Today, we are happy to see a consultation underway by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba (CPSM) to do just this, which we believe will make Manitoba more attractive to American physicians considering a move north of the border.”

Doctors Manitoba will continue to promote the benefits of practicing in Manitoba to colleagues in the U.S., including recent media interviews, advertisements, and a unique website, Man​i​to​baMD​.com, for American physicians. 

Then and Now

Doctors Manitoba was created in 1908, then called the Manitoba Medical Association. A century ago, in 1925, members gathered for the Annual General Meeting at the Fort Garry Hotel. 

100 years later, the face of the profession looks very different today. Below is a photo from our 2025 Annual General Meeting at the Fort Garry Hotel.