ManitobaManitoba has attracted more doctors to the province over the past couple of years, but keeping them here is still an issue, a new report says.Advocacy group urges province to improve work conditions, dump administrative burdensListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesDoctors Manitoba president Dr. Nichelle Desilets says the data from this year’s research reinforces the need to improve physician retention efforts. (Submitted by Doctors Manitoba)Manitoba has attracted more doctors to the province over the past couple of years, but keeping them here is still an issue, a new report says.”Even for those who are happy here and have had a really fulfilling career here, there are still lots of challenges,” said Dr. Nichelle Desilets, president of Doctors Manitoba. “For some, the amount of time and the amount of effort spent on things like paperwork and clerical duties and navigating the system versus engaging one-on-one with their patient population is just not worth it anymore.”In its annual physicians in Manitoba report, released on Thursday, Doctors Manitoba says the province had a record-breaking net increase of 164 doctors last year.It now has 225 physicians per 100,000 people, which is a 2.5 per cent improvement, but still far short of the national average of 241.It would take 246 more physicians to reach the national average, and 697 more to become the best in Canada, the Doctors Manitoba report says.The report draws on data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information and the province in order to understand trends, concerns and opportunities related to Manitoba’s physician resources, Doctors Manitoba said in a news release.In spite of the progress on recruitment, this year’s research reinforces the need to focus on retaining the doctors we have, Desilets said.In 2024, Manitoba saw a net loss of 8.3 physicians per 1,000 people to other provinces — the second-worst performance of all provinces, according to data from CIHI. WATCH | Manitoba still faces challenges retaining doctors, report says:Record physician recruitment but low performance on retention: Doctors ManitobaInvestment in recruitment by the NDP government is responsible for a record number of doctors lured to the province last year, Doctors Manitoba says, but retaining those Manitoba has remains a struggle. Doctors Manitoba also did a survey of its members, and 1,318 fully licensed physicians (38 per cent) responded.Among those who responded:43 per cent were considering reducing their hours, retiring or leaving the province in the next three years.21 per cent were considering retiring or leaving Manitoba in the next three years.56 per cent were experiencing distress and 48 per cent were experiencing high rates of burnout.Over the past five years, Manitoba has lost an average of 155 doctors annually through departures or retirement, a rate of four to five per cent, Doctors Manitoba said, citing Manitoba College of Physicians and Surgeons reports.That’s a drastic difference from the percentage who said in the Doctors Manitoba survey that they were thinking about it over the next three years, the advocacy organization said.In addition, among the students and residents who responded to the survey, only 60 per cent planned to stay in Manitoba. The other 40 per cent planned to leave or were undecided.The number of Manitoba graduates starting practice in the province has declined from a record high of 87 in 2021 to 70 last year, the Doctors Manitoba report said.The recruitment success in the last few years has primarily been driven by out-of-province graduates moving to Manitoba, Doctors Manitoba said.’Disillusioned and disappointed’Frustration over issues in Manitoba’s health-care system, such as excessive administrative burden, siloed electronic record systems and a lack of access to equipment and facilities, have been cited by doctors as key drivers of burnout and distress, and the major reasons some plan to leave, Desilets said.Doctors Manitoba is urging the province to improve the environments where physicians work and learn.That includes enhancing consultation and engagement, said Desilets. Somed doctors “have become disillusioned and disappointed from working in an environment where they’re ultimately responsible for patient care …. but they’re working in a system where they can’t control factors that are impacting the patient’s care,” she said.That can include problems around medical transportation, access to diagnostic imaging or not being able to speed up the wait for surgery for patients, she said.”There’s a lot of frustration in some of those situations.”Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said Thursday physician recruitment numbers show the province’s efforts are paying off. (Bryce Hoye/CBC)Doctors Manitoba recommends streamlining computer systems between referring physicians and specialists, eliminating sick notes and other unnecessary administrative burdens, expanding team-based care, and investing in the facilities and equipment physicians need to care for patients.Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara acknowledged more work needs to be done on eliminating administrative barriers.The net addition of doctors to the system shows efforts through the NDP’s Health Care Recruitment and Retention Office is working, they said.”We’ve done the work of expanding medical residency training seats [in Winnipeg], and we’ve done that also in Brandon … so that rural students, rural learners have the opportunity to train in their communities, close to home, and be more likely to stay and serve in those communities,” said Asagwara.They said it could take years to restore and build on a health-care system that underwent through cuts under the former Progressive Conservative government.Flanked by Progressive Conservative MLA Derek Johnson (Interlake-Gimli), Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan, left, suggested Thursday that the retention of physicians could be impacted by quality of life issues the NDP government isn’t adequately addressing. (Bryce Hoye/CBC)But Opposition leader Obby Khan said quality of life, affordability and public safety are considerations for those looking at living in Manitoba versus going elsewhere.”It’s clear the NDP are not doing a very good job of that, and people are leaving,” the PC leader said.
Province boosts doctor numbers but retention still a pain point: Doctors Manitoba
