The campaign promotes Manitoba as a welcoming, inclusive place to live and work. It also highlights the province’s affordability, strong schools, vibrant communities, and quality of life.
“It is crucial for those who may be considering Manitoba as their place of practice to know we are committed to providing evidence-based health care, whether it’s women’s health, gender-affirming care or public health leadership,” said Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara, who announced the campaign earlier this week.
The province is encouraging Manitobans to share the campaign with any American friends or family members working in health care. More details and upcoming webinar information can be found at www.PracticeinManitoba.ca.
Physician recruitment has been a long-standing challenge in Manitoba. The province currently ranks second-lowest in the country for the number of doctors per capita, with just 219 physicians per 100,000 residents — well below the national average of about 280. To close that gap, Manitoba would need to recruit at least 346 additional doctors.
That said, there has been some recent progress. Manitoba saw a net gain of 133 physicians last year — the largest single-year increase in its history. The total number of licensed doctors in the province has now climbed to over 3,500, up about 300 from the previous year.
Still, the work is far from over. Manitoba ranks last in Canada for the number of family physicians per capita and is third-last when it comes to specialist availability. A recent survey found nearly 20% of doctors in the province — roughly 688 — are thinking about retiring or moving away in the next three years. Another 46% said they’re considering cutting back their hours or workload.
To help address these shortages, the province has expanded its licensure program for internationally trained doctors, increasing the number of International Medical Graduate (IMG) seats from 25 to 35. It’s also ramped up medical school enrolment, though Manitoba still trails behind the international average for training seats per capita.
Shortages can be especially challenging in rural and regional areas. In Prairie Mountain Health, for example, a gap of 87 doctors was narrowed somewhat by the recruitment of 32 physicians in the past year — a 30% improvement, but not enough to fully meet demand.
Prairie Mountain Health communications coordinator Blaine Kraushaa said their health region continues to explore “outside the box” strategies to attract more health care workers.
“Just recently we hosted Rural Week, which involves inviting first-year Medical students from the U of M to spend time in rural hospitals.” Last month the RHA coordinated a rural bus tour for some students in the areas of pharmacy technicians and dietitian/nutrition services. “We had 11 pharmacy students bussed from Winnipeg to Brandon to speak with various representatives of Brandon Regional Health Centre about job opportunities. Later in the week, we had a two-day bus tour of 17 students with their Masters of applied nutrition/dietitian degree from the U of M visiting Dauphin and Brandon to talk more about services and career opportunities.”
During both of these tours, students were also taken around to see the sights, sounds and attractions within the local community. “It provides a more in-depth exposure to lifestyle opportunities in rural Manitoba,” Kraushaa said.
The new U.S.-focused campaign is one of several steps the province is taking to improve access to care, rebuild the workforce, and support health professionals already here.
