Manitoba commits to hiring 100 doctors

The Manitoba government committing to its Budget 2024 plan of hiring 100 new doctors over the next year, but is this a realistic goal? 

Dr. Candance Bradshaw says Manitoba has one of the worst doctor shortages in the country — saying it would take 445 more doctors just to reach the national average.

“If we can add 10 per cent more doctors than the average, and lose 10 per cent fewer doctors than average, we can hit that 100 number,” said Dr. Candance Bradshaw, a family physician with Doctors Manitoba.

The move is part of the over $300 million plan to hire 1,000 new health care workers. Last year, the province hired 44 new doctors into the health care system — and the plan is to over double that number by this time next year.

“I am not sure how they are going to find even the 100 doctors they are talking about and what kind of incentives they are going to give them,” said Dr. Pravinsagar Mehta, a Winnipeg Family Physician.

Dr. Mehta has been in Winnipeg family physician for almost 50 years. He says there is truly a major shortage of family doctors in the province and says it will be hard to recruit.

“We all need to work together, but even if you do that, you need a team and where are you going to find teams and that’s a problem. It will cost money, it will take time and it’s not a simple solution you can just fix in six months.”

Dr. Amanda Condon says it’s really important to focus, train, and recruit graduates already in the province because she says doctors are desperately needed all over Manitoba.

“It is important to take that equity lens and ensure that we are matching people and meeting the needs of Manitobans across the province where that need is most dire, so ensuring that we are considering that as part of our recruitment strategies and building it into the work we are doing,” said Dr. Condon.

“The question as to whether or not it is realistic is a difficult one to answer.”