Seniors Care, Mental Health, and Chronic and Complex Care Prioritized in Agreement Reached Between Province and Doctors Manitoba

Seniors Care, mental health, and care for chronic and complex conditions have been identified as shared priority areas of focus for Manitoba physicians and the provincial government in an agreement reached on the allocation of increased funding for medical services, as announced today by Health and Seniors Care Minister Heather Stefanson, Mental Health, Wellness and Recovery Minister Audrey Gordon and Dr. Cory Baillie, president, Doctors Manitoba.

The agreement is the result of ongoing collaborative discussions and sets out the allocation of a 0.75 per cent increase to medical remuneration, as part of the 2019 – 2023 Master Agreement between the Manitoba government and Doctors Manitoba. The allocation – and the identified priority areas of focus – have been endorsed by the Master Agreement Governance Committee and will take effect April 1, 2021.

“We are very pleased to have reached an agreement on the allocation of these funds as part of our mutual commitment to modernizing health-care delivery to support better health care for all Manitobans,” said Stefanson. ​“Working with our physician partners, we will continue to improve care for our most vulnerable patients including seniors and those requiring care for complex and chronic conditions.”

“This agreement also acknowledges the importance of ongoing support and enhancement of mental health services, priorities for both our government and providers working across the province and those who access these vital services,” added Gordon.

“Increased funding for medical remuneration this year will help doctors with increasing overhead costs, such as personal protective equipment,” said Baillie. ​“This collaborative process has allowed us to address physician and patient priorities as part of a larger Master Agreement, in which the provincial government has committed to keeping remuneration competitive with other provinces.”

Collaborative discussions to achieve ongoing improvements in patient care and health-care delivery through necessary modernization and alignment are continuing under the oversight of the Master Agreement Governance Committee, a joint advisory group with representatives from the provincial government and Doctors Manitoba.

Highlights of the allocation include:

• enhanced focus on care of the elderly;
• support for complex care;
• support for chronic care provided within long-term care settings; and
• increased support for mental health including support for psychotherapy, hospital care, consultation and care specific to geriatric patients.

Today’s agreement is the latest collaborative effort between the Province of Manitoba and Doctors Manitoba and builds upon earlier agreements reached to support Manitoba’s COVID-19 pandemic efforts including tariffs for virtual care and isolation supports for physicians.