More doctors left Manitoba in 2014 than any other province: CIHI report

Doctors packed their bags last year and left Manitoba for other provinces in greater numbers than in any other jurisdiction in Canada.

A report compiled by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) states that in 2014, 47 physicians left Manitoba to set up in another province, and two more left the country.

Saskatchewan was second worst at retaining medical professionals, with a total loss of 33 doctors. British Columbia was the preferred migration location for Canadian physicians, gaining 51 at the expense of other jurisdictions.

Walter Feeney, a senior analyst for CIHI, said Manitoba Health's recruiting strategy may explain why the numbers are so high.

"Manitoba was also one of the provinces with the higher number of international medical graduates, and in some cases, physicians might come to Canada through certain programs or sign on to contracts with provinces to work there for X number of years or time period and, in doing so, they've fulfilled their agreement with that province and then they may choose to move to another province now that they've established their Canadian practice," he said.

Manitoba had the third largest proportion of internationally trained doctors with 34.3 per cent of the province's physicians coming from abroad, the CIHI data says. Only Saskatchewan (53.2 per cent) and Newfoundland and Labrador (36.4 per cent) had higher proportions.

Overall, Canada is gaining more physicians from abroad than it's losing, and interprovincial migration patterns have remained steady since the '70s, with about one per cent of physicians relocating annually, Feeney noted.

Net loss of physicians for Manitoba

The report also singles out Manitoba, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia as the only provinces to post a net decrease of physicians in 2014. Manitoba's overall doctor count fell by three in 2014, while Saskatchewan's physician supply jumped by 90 and Alberta's by 499.

The Canadian Institute for Health Information cautions, however, that the 2013 to 2014 change should be considered within the longer historical trend in physician numbers.

"Since 2010, all provinces have increased their number of physicians by at least 10 per cent," said Feeney.

The total number of doctors in Manitoba has increased 12.2 per cent since 2010, the report states; the national average was 14.6 per cent. The increases outpaced population growth in every province.

Province disputes numbers

In response to the report Manitoba Health Minister Sharon Blady said that the physician numbers she has don't match the CIHI report. According to figures provided by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba to her department, there has been a net increase of 83 doctors in 2014. 

"We focus on the raw numbers that come to us from the College of Physicians and Surgeons. I mean, they are the professional body, they report that there are more doctors working in Manitoba than ever before, so I go with those numbers," said Minister Blady. 

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba has not yet responded to a request for details on how their numbers were tabulated. CIHI notes, however, that their own physician count excludes resident doctors still in medical training and semi-retired physicians among others, which likely explains the discrepancy. 

The province also noted that since creating it's Family Doctor Finder program in 2013, more than 30,000 Manitobans have been successfully matched up with a family doctor or a nurse practitioner.

Middle-of-the-road incomes

The report also revealed that net billings to Manitoba's health-care system have increased 87 per cent over the last decade — a trend seen in all jurisdictions. In 2014, the province paid out $841 million to physicians across the province.

Average gross incomes for Manitoba doctors — before deductions such as income tax, insurance and clinic operation costs — was just shy of $331,000 in 2014, below the national average of $335,900.

The data used to create the CIHI report were taken from billing information and physician statistics sent to the health institute by provincial and territorial health ministries.