Manitoba Enhances Health Links Program with New Doctor Role

The Manitoba government has introduced a new initiative aimed at improving health care accessibility. A doctor has been added to the Health Links–Info Santé program to monitor calls, with the goal of reducing unnecessary referrals to emergency rooms. This announcement was made in a news release on Thursday.

Health Links–Info Santé is a bilingual telephone service that provides assessment, triage, and health advice to residents. Patients can call for guidance, and based on their needs, nurses may recommend contacting a family physician, visiting a walk-in clinic, or going to an emergency room or urgent care center. According to Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara, this new addition to the program is expected to alleviate pressure on the healthcare system.

The doctor began working with the program earlier this month and is available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.. Another clinician is slated to join later in December 2023, providing coverage during overnight hours. In the long term, the government plans to include nurse practitioners as well, enhancing the service’s capacity.

Asagwara noted that many Manitobans have encountered lengthy waits in emergency rooms after being directed there by Health Links. The addition of physicians to the service is seen as a vital step in addressing this issue. The program currently handles an average of 400 calls per day, with approximately 40 patients referred to emergency departments daily. In the initial ten days following the doctor’s addition, 160 patients were transferred to the physician, of which only 10 required emergency room services.

New Bursary Program for Emergency Medical Responders

In a related development, the Manitoba government has announced a new bursary program aimed at supporting emergency medical responder students. A $5,000 bursary will be available to students, who will then enter into a one-year return-of-service agreement once employed, requiring them to work in rural Manitoba. This initiative is designed to make training programs more attractive.

Minister Asagwara expressed that this financial assistance will help students gain practical experience in rural communities. “We’re putting trainees in rural municipalities, where they can get hands-on experience on real-world emergency calls and fall in love with rural Manitoba,” he stated.

By the fall of 2026, it is anticipated that around 50 to 60 emergency medical responder students will graduate and complete the Canadian Organization of Paramedic Regulators exam, qualifying them for positions within provincial emergency medical services.

However, Jason Linklater, president of the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals, highlighted the limitations of emergency medical responders. He noted that these responders lack the comprehensive training necessary to handle high-acuity situations, such as cardiac arrests and severe traumas, which require simultaneous interventions by fully trained paramedics. Linklater emphasized that the “limited scope of practice” for emergency medical responders does not allow them to provide care equivalent to that of paramedics.

The New Democratic Party (NDP) has indicated that since coming to power in 2023, it has added only 18 of the promised 200 paramedics to the healthcare system, raising concerns about adequate emergency services in the province.

As these new programs unfold, the Manitoba government aims to enhance healthcare efficiency and service delivery for its residents while addressing the critical need for trained emergency personnel.