More MDs for Manitoba: Provincial association offers a prescription for doctors shortage

Underlining the need for an “all-in” collaborative approach, Doctors Manitoba has released a report outlining five key recommendations to address the serious shortage of physicians in the province’s rural, Northern and Indigenous communities. The recommendations address a range of issues, from recruitment and more efficient use of doctors’ time, to burnout, physician retention and community-based support. “Healthcare in rural and northern communities is a top concern for our respective members and I believe by working together we’ve produced recommendations and concrete actions that can lead to real results for Manitobans seeking medical care,” Dr. Candace Bradshaw, president of Doctors Manitoba, said at an Oct. 28 news conference. In its report, Doctors Manitoba cited Canadian Institute for Health Information data that confirm the province has the lowest number of family physicians per capita in Canada, at 108 doctors per 100,000 residents. Read: 6 solutions from Canadian doctors to the physician shortage While Manitoba has seen a 47% increase in the number of practising physicians since 2003—or a net increase of 1,005 doctors—its per capita growth in physicians of only 19% over the same period is the lowest in the country. To catch up, Manitoba—which also has the third lowest number of specialists per capita—would need to increase its ranks of doctors by 359. “Though it should be noted that the Canadian average is the 7th worst among 32 nations included in OECD tracking,” the report stated. Putting the following recommendations into play could go a long way towards solving Manitoba’s doctor shortage problem, according to the report: Recruit more doctors. This could be achieved through efforts such as expanding the number of seats for international medical graduates in the province’s licensure program, launching an overseas recruitment initiative, training more doctors in Manitoba, implementing a single integrated physician recruitment website or agency, and expanding recruitment incentives. Find efficiencies to free up physicians’ time for more patient care. Ways to make this happen include the creation of a centralized service for consultative advice and other services, expanding the use of technologies such as secure texting, and enabling physicians to add other health professionals—such as physician assistants and nurses—to accommodate more patient visits. Read: Manitoba doctor warns of overwhelmed hospitals, calls for government help Address physician burnout, the single biggest risk to physicians leaving practice. According to the report, steps in this direction should include setting up a paperwork reduction taskforce, reviewing workload and on-call expectations, expanding locum coverage opportunities to help doctors take a break from practice, creating a “constructive expectation” for the province’s regional health authorities and shared services to communicate and consult with doctors about changes and issues that affect their ability to practice, and working with these government agencies to address racism and mistreatment of doctors. Get doctors in rural and Northern to stay in practice longer. This can be achieved with better peer support and mentorship, by helping doctors with clinic infrastructure and equipment costs, considering long-term service partnerships for doctors visiting smaller, remote and Indigenous communities, and enhancing the province’s physician retention program to recognize continued rural and Northern practice. Read: The burnout drain Support the important role local communities, chambers of commerce and Indigenous leaders can play in physician recruitment and retention. An action plan to support this recommendation could include a physician recruitment and retention checklist or best practice guide for local communities and chambers of commerce, provincial support to help local communities in their role in recruiting doctors and their families, encouraging communities to appoint an ambassador or liaison on physician recruitment and retention, working with local communities and schools to expose students at younger ages to medicine and healthcare careers. The recommendations have been submitted to Manitoba's health ministry. Read: N.L. doctors push back against change that would give government a say in licensing

More MDs for Manitoba: Provincial association offers a prescription for doctors shortage

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