August 13, 2013 RECORD NUMBER OF DOCTORS NOW PRACTISING IN MANITOBA: OSWALD The Manitoba government’s investments to expand the University of Manitoba’s medical school, create recruitment grants, and build and renew hospitals are paying off with a record 2,599 doctors now practising in Manitoba, Health Minister Theresa Oswald announced today. “Families want and deserve access to a doctor when they need one, close to home. Manitoba history clearly shows us that short-sighted decisions to cut health spending, physician training spaces and investments in hospitals is bad for Manitoba families and has long-lasting impacts on the health system,” said Oswald. “The number of doctors in our province continues to rise because our government knows health care is a top priority of Manitobans and we will not act on calls for haphazard cuts or privatization of the health system.” New registration statistics released by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba report a total of 2,599 physicians practising in Manitoba, 61 more than last year and an increase of 562 since 1999. “The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba is pleased to see the number of licensed medical practitioners in Manitoba rise as it has over the past 10 years,” said Dr. Bill Pope, registrar and chief executive officer of the college. “The result of the close working relationship that exists between the college, the faculty of medicine at the University of Manitoba and the Physician Resource Co-ordination Office is better health care for Manitobans.” The Manitoba government’s investments in expanding medical school spaces to 110 students per year has been one of the most important changes that has helped to reverse the exodus of doctors from Manitoba that was seen in the 1990s, the minister noted. From 1992 to 1998 the number of doctors working in Manitoba was reduced to 2,016 from 2,133, an overall loss of 117 practising physicians across the province. “In addition to expanding the medical school, we have also expanded the number of medical residencies to accommodate medical graduates from other jurisdictions,” Oswald said. Earlier this year, the Manitoba government announced $4.3 million to create 15 new medical residencies including in several rural communities. With a record 136 residency positions available this year and 105 graduating medical students, there is now more capacity to accept graduates from outside Manitoba, including Manitobans who studied medicine abroad, through the independent residency matching service that accepts the best possible candidates, the minister said. This year, nine Manitobans who studied overseas were accepted into residencies in Manitoba. “Manitoba has become a more attractive province to practise medicine in and more and more of the University of Manitoba’s medical school graduates are staying here for their residencies and to work after graduation,” said Dr. Brian Postl, dean of medicine. “With the support of the government of Manitoba, we’re also creating opportunities for qualified graduates from other universities including Manitobans who studied in other jurisdictions who want to return to our province.” Postl noted that decisions on filling residencies are made by medical schools with a view to matching competencies and medical needs across the country. The University of Manitoba has a target of filling 70 per cent of residencies with Manitobans, meaning graduates from the province and Manitobans who studied elsewhere are weighted higher in the review process, helping to get more doctors back into communities where they are likely to put down permanent roots, he said. - 30 -

May 3, 2013

BUDGET 2013: TRAINING, RECRUITING MORE DOCTORS IN MANITOBA

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Investments Will Help Ensure Every Manitoban Can Access a Family Doctor by 2015: Premier

The Manitoba government is supporting 15 more medical residencies and expanding doctor recruitment incentives, Premier Greg Selinger announced today.
“While there are more doctors practising today in Manitoba than ever before, we know we need more to give families access to better care sooner and closer to home,” said Selinger.  “By investing in more training opportunities in Manitoba and more doctor recruitment grants, we are moving closer to ensuring all Manitobans can access a family doctor by 2015.”
Budget 2013 includes over $4.5 million to expand doctor training and recruitment initiatives including:

• 15 new medical residency positions including seven family medicine residencies in rural Manitoba and eight specialist residencies in Winnipeg in emergency medicine, adolescent psychiatry, vascular surgery, internal medicine, and obstetrics and gynecology;
• over $300,000 for additional grants that can cover the full cost of medical school for up to 23 more students who agree to practise in under-serviced communities after graduation; and
• increased support for internationally educated doctors working toward being fully licensed to practise in Manitoba.

“The University of Manitoba has focused on increasing the number of Manitobans in medical school,” said Dr. Brian Postl, dean of the faculty of medicine at the University of Manitoba.  “With new funding from the Manitoba government for additional residency positions in rural Manitoba as well as Winnipeg, we can train even more doctors to give families the care they need, especially for under-serviced communities in the province.”
The Manitoba government has expanded medical school training to 110 seats after it had been reduced to 70 seats during the 1990s, Health Minister Theresa Oswald said.  Medical residencies are the last stage of training for doctors following medical school.
“When medical training is expanded, more doctors are recruited, but when it’s cut, you end up with fewer doctors,” said Oswald.  “Our government won’t repeat short-sighted cuts to medical school training that led to fewer doctors working in Manitoba in the 1990s.  Manitoba families deserve better.”
According to the College of Physicians and Surgeons, there are over 2,500 doctors working in Manitoba, over 500 more in the province than there was in 1999.  Between 1993 and 1999, the college reported a decrease of 116 fewer doctors working in the province.

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Doctors warming up to country life

March 9, 2012

RECORD NUMBER OF FUTURE DOCTORS ATTRACTED TO RURAL, NORTHERN COMMUNITIES UNDER EXPANDED RECRUITMENT GRANT PROGRAM: OSWALD

A record number of medical students has signed up to serve in rural and northern communities that need them the most in exchange for free medical school thanks to a recently expanded doctor-recruitment initiative, Health Minister Theresa Oswald announced today.  The free medical school initiative supports the province’s commitment to ensure every Manitoban has access to a family doctor by 2015, the minister said.
“We’re committed to finding new ways to connect Manitobans with a doctor in their community,” said Oswald.  “The incredible success we’ve seen in the first year of the free medical school program shows us we’re on the right track to recruiting more doctors to the rural and northern communities where they’re needed most.”
This year, over 251 undergraduate medical students and residents signed up for grants through the revamped Medical Student/Resident Financial Assistance Program in exchange for providing medical services after graduation, in under-served rural and northern communities.  In total, this will result in nearly 250 years of medical services returned to Manitoba communities, Oswald said.
Under the expanded program, grants range from $12,000 to $25,000 per year, based on the year of study, the student’s specialty and where they choose to work after graduation.  Students can apply for grants in each year of medical school and canaccess a maximum of $61,000 over four years, which covers tuition and other costs associated with studying medicine in exchange for a commitment to work for up to two and half years in communities identified as most in need of additional physicians.
“Our goal is to keep the majority of our graduating physicians here to serve the health-care needs of Manitobans across the province,” said Dr. Brian Postl, dean, faculty of medicine, University of Manitoba.  “Thanks to this expanded and innovative program, more students are choosing to stay here, take advantage of the tuition-reimbursement incentives offered by the province and practise in under-served communities after graduation.  It’s clearly a win-win.”
Since the program was established in 2001, over $35 million has been provided to approximately 1,300 students.  Since 1999, rural and northern Manitoba has seen a net increase of 116 doctors.
The minister said Manitoba continues to make many important investments in physician training, recruitment and retention including:

• expanding the Medical Student/Resident Financial Assistance Program to cover the entire cost of a student’s four years of medical school, in exchange for a return-of-service agreement in communities chosen by the province;
• introducing a 60 per cent tuition rebate worth up to $25,000 for graduates who choose to live and work in Manitoba;
• introducing a unique northern/remote residency program to help attract more doctors to northern Manitoba;
• providing grants of $50,000 in return for service for family doctors to return to school to undertake a third year in an advanced-skill area such as emergency medicine or anesthesiology;
• expanding medical school spaces to 110 from 70, creating the largest medical school class on record; and
• introducing the Medical Licensure Program for International Medical Graduates in 2001 to assist foreign doctors in receiving conditional registration.  

For more information about the programs, visit www.manitoba.ca/health/msrfap/index.html.

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More Doctors Choosing to Remain in Manitoba

February 9, 2012

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS STAYING IN MANITOBA, PROVIDING PATIENT CARE, SUPPORTING HEALTH-CARE PROVIDERS: OSWALD

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First-ever Training Program in Canada Successful at Retaining Physician Assistants: Selby

The vast majority of students graduating from the first-in-Canada physician-assistant masters training program have chosen to stay in Manitoba to use their valuable medical skills to care for patients in hospitals, clinics and other health-care settings across the province, Health Minister Theresa Oswald and Advanced Education and Literacy Minister Erin Selby announced today.
“Physician assistants play a pivotal role in providing quality health care to Manitobans. They are responsible for a wide range of important medical tasks and are an integral part of our plan to connect all Manitobans with accessible and timely health care,” said Oswald.  “In 2008, our government created the first physician-assistant graduate training program in Canada and now that the first classes have graduated, we are pleased to see nearly all of its members have chosen to stay and work in Manitoba.”
Manitoba invested $1.2 million to create the physician-assistant education program in September of 2008.  Of the 23 students who have graduated since the program began, 19 are currently working in Manitoba.  Another 24 students are currently enrolled in the program.
Physician assistants are currently work in Dauphin, Portage la Prairie, MacGregor and Winnipeg in a variety of health-care settings including emergency departments, surgery, medical rehabilitation, family medicine and mental-health services.  Working collaboratively with a physician, they can conduct patient exams, order diagnostic tests, undertake minor procedures, and prescribe needed medications and treatments.
“Health care requires a team approach and every person in the team is important,” Selby said.  “By ensuring that we train professionals for each part of the team, we are strengthening the entire system and improving health care for all Manitobans.”  
Every year, up to 12 candidates are accepted into this two-year faculty of medicine program at the University of Manitoba, which includes both lectures and clinical-care courses.  Graduates receive a master of physician assistant (PA) studies degree.
“The University of Manitoba is proud to partner with the province as a leader in educating and training physician assistants in Canada's first master’s level PA education program.  Physician assistants improve health-care delivery in our province, benefiting all Manitobans, and are integral members of our inter-professional health teams,” said Dr. Brian Postl, dean, faculty of medicine, University of Manitoba.

Physician assistants were added to the Grace and Seven Oaks hospital emergency departments as part of the first pilot project of its kind in Canada to help improve patient care and provide faster access to emergency care.  The addition of physician assistants to the University of Manitoba Joint Replacement Group at Concordia Hospital allows twice the number of primary joint surgeries to be performed each day.
In August 2009, Manitoba became the first province in Canada to put legislation in place that allowed physician assistant students to become associate members of the provincial College of Physicians and Surgeons.  This provides students with the opportunity to provide hands-on patient care and offer valuable support to health-care practitioners and physicians, while being governed by the high standards of medical professionalism required by the college, Oswald said.

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December 16, 2008

PROVINCE LAUNCHES FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND WEB TOOL FOR MANITOBA DOCTORS
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New Online Registry Gives Physicians New Resources to Find Right Specialists for Patients: Oswald

Manitoba has launched a first-in-Canada online tool that helps physicians quickly find the right medical specialists for their patients, saving time both for doctors and Manitobans receiving care, Health Minister Theresa Oswald announced today.

“This new resource puts up-to-date information at doctors’ fingertips, giving referring physicians new tools to connect patients with the right specialist more quickly than before,” Oswald said. “As part of our strategy to decrease wait times, this is an innovative solution that will create new efficiencies and help us deliver better care.”

Doctors will be able to quickly search the new Catalogue of Specialized Services (CSS) by areas of clinical expertise to create a short list of doctors providing specialized services such as orthopedics, psychiatric services or internal medicine. The tool will help physicians ensure they are connecting their patients with the most appropriate specialist to best meet their patient’s needs and reduce misdirected referrals. The catalogue will list all specialists in the province.

“Winnipeg is home to many of the province’s specialized medical doctors and we want to make ourselves easy to find when we’re needed,” said Dr. Jamie Boyd, medical director of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s family medicine program. “This new tool will help show the way and improve the patient’s journey.”

The new $80,000 tool was developed in partnership with the medical community to improve efficiency and co-ordination among health-care providers. It lists the doctor’s location and the medical services provided and is designed to direct patient referrals to the right clinician the first time.

“This should save time for the family doctor, the specialists and the patients, since all of the important information is pulled together in one accessible tool,” said Dr. Robyn Olson, president of the Manitoba Medical Association. “Physicians can be confident that they’re making the right referral to the right specialist.”

Every doctor and referring clinician in the province will be given a unique user name and password to access the catalogue. Doctors who provide specialized services will be able to log in and update their areas of expertise to ensure the catalogue remains an up-to-date online resource for referring physicians, especially for new Manitoba doctors and those in rural and remote parts of the province.

“This is a great tool for family physicians and their patients,” said Dr. Fran Berard, president of the Manitoba College of Family Physicians. “Finding the right specialist can be a challenge, especially for doctors who practise in rural Manitoba. This will really make the referral process much more efficient and will improve quality of care for all Manitobans.”

The development of this important resource has been made possible, in part, through a contribution from Health Canada.

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