New health cards issued in Manitoba will now include a letter in their family registration number to ensure enough options are available for the growing population, the province said Wednesday.

The province's purple health card entitles people to health benefits and services and is presented when receiving care medical clinics, hospitals and pharmacies.

The cards currently include a six-digit family number as well as a nine-digit number for each individual.

Previously, the family number would be six digits (for example, 123456), but will now include one letter and five numbers (e.g. A12345).

Using a mix of numbers and letters for new family registration ID will ensure enough options are available for Manitoba's growing population, the province said in a news release. There will be no changes to nine-digit individual numbers.

Manitoba Health has notified health-care providers and other sites where health cards are required so system adjustments can be made.

The new alphanumeric family IDs will used on cards issued from March 1 onward, the province said on its website. People who already have cards will keep the current version, including the existing family registration number, the province said in an email.

The province also says a backlog in processing times for new or replacement health cards created by the pandemic has now been eliminated, and most new application requests are being handled within a four-week window.