The provincial government is working with a recruitment firm to try and attract 150 physicians to come work in Manitoba. Health Minister Audrey Gordon announced Monday afternoon that her government has also approved regulatory changes that will allow internationally educated doctors to start working sooner.
The Manitoba government has set a recruitment target of 150 family physicians to provide services in all areas of the province with initial goals of 50 physicians each for Winnipeg, northern Manitoba, and rural communities. Canadian Health Labs has been retained to assist with this focused recruitment drive.
The Manitoba government has approved amendments to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba (CPSM) General Regulation to streamline registration requirements and expedite the registration process for internationally educated physicians. These changes will come into effect on September 1st.
Internationally educated physicians who meet all other registration requirements will no longer be required to also hold a Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada to practice in Manitoba. The minister notes this requirement can be safely removed because specialists and family physicians must continue to demonstrate competency by either completing post-graduate medical education and obtaining certification from either the College of Family Physicians of Canada or Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, or by completing the Manitoba Practice Assessment Program. Additionally, applicants who have already completed the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada's Subspecialist Examination Affiliate Program will be eligible for a new fast-track registration process that is more appropriate for their qualifications.
The amendments also give CPSM the flexibility to establish streamlined assessment requirements for fully licensed internationally educated physicians, including reduced provisional registration requirements for applicants from jurisdictions with similar health-care, education and training systems. Gordon says this change will align Manitoba's requirements with other regulatory bodies in Canada.
"Our government is committed to expanding the health-care workforce to provide Manitobans with the care they need, when and where they need it," says Gordon. "We are making the necessary moves to recruit 150 family physicians to work in our province, which will support better patient outcomes and bring care and services closer to home for Manitobans."