600 words / 3 min read

As expected, the provincial budget has a primary focus on protecting our economy in the face of the potential trade war. Health care was also a major component of the budget, with an overall increase in health spending of $1.2 billion, or 14.2%.

Health care highlights 

Most of the significant increase in overall health care funding were allocated to human resources. Health care will receive a significant 14.2% funding increase. This will help in a number of areas:

• Adding 97 more hospital beds, including 10 ICU, 60 acute, and 27 transitional. This builds on the 233 beds added over the last year or so. Adding more beds has been a continued recommendation from Doctors Manitoba to help with patient flow and wait times.

• Continued focus on more recruitment and retention, another key recommendation from Doctors Manitoba. This includes adding 20 more residency spaces. We did not see a physician recruitment target in the budget, but we will continue to press for specifics. New figures show a commitment to further increase recruitment of health professionals, including adding more doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.

• More Manitobans are accessing care, in large part due to increases in recruitment of family physicians, and the FM+ FFS model enabling physicians to see more patients.

Doctors Manitoba President-Elect, Dr. Nichelle Desilets, attended the Budget Speech yesterday at the Manitoba Legislature, and the presentation by Finance Minister Hon. Adrian Sala at the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce breakfast this morning. Dr. Desilets is hopeful the government will continue with its commitment to health care, saying ​“physician recruitment and retention are top of mind for those working in medicine right now. With burnout rates high for physicians, an increase in the workforce will both alleviate the strain on our members and ensure that all Manitobans receive the care they need.”

The government will also be funding hormone replacement therapy, and will add Plan B to the free birth control program. 

To help with economic support, the budget makes a significant investment in capital projects to create more jobs in construction, including in health care. This includes work on new PCHs in Transcona, Lac du Bonnet and Arborg, a new Mature Women’s clinic, the Portage Place Centre of Healthcare Excellence, new ERs in Eriksdale and at Victoria Hospital and improvements to Children’s ER. Design work will also start on CancerCare Manitoba’s new building. We continue to press for physician engagement and consultation to help inform the design of these new facilities.

There is a commitment to work on stabilizing staffing in rural Manitoba, but more details are needed. Funding is confirmed for a hip and knee surgery expansion in Selkirk, and a Mobile MRI based in Thompson. 

Funding is announced to support the roll-out of a provincial electronic patient record in all hospitals. While this is encouraging news as most hospitals still rely on paper charts, we are concerned about a lack of physician engagement on the implementation plans and will be reinforcing the need to involve doctors to ensure an EPR reduces administrative burdens, rather than adds to them.

Our Response

We asked government to ensure health care remains a priority while they also focus on protecting our economy. We’re encouraged to see continued investments in staffing, more hospital beds, and continued efforts to recruit and retain more doctors and other health care workers. 

We did not see any mention of eliminating sick notes, or investing in team-based care in physician practices. These are key priorities we will continue to champion, along with more support for specialists, including diagnostics and surgery. 

Please continue to share your views by emailing us at practiceadvice@​doctorsmanitoba.​ca.