ResearchServices & workforceToday · Oct 29, 2026ManitobaNorthern Health Region

Doctors Manitoba report shows shrinking physician shortage despite ongoing rural and specialist gaps

The annual Physicians in Manitoba report indicates the provincial doctor shortage has nearly halved over three years due to record growth. However, specialists now account for over 90% of the remaining shortage, and rural and northern health regions continue to have fewer physicians per capita than comparable Canadian areas.

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Official source: Doctors Manitoba report shows shrinking physician shortage despite ongoing rural and specialist gaps (opens in a new tab) — Doctors Manitoba

Services & workforceYesterdayManitoba

Manitoba physicians report patient access issues at Dynacare laboratory locations

Manitoba doctors report that patients are facing long wait times and facility closures at Dynacare labs amid stalled contract negotiations. The 350 unionized lab workers, who have been without a contract since March 31, were previously ordered back to work by the Manitoba Labour Board after being designated as essential service providers.

Expect potential delays for your patients' lab results or difficulties accessing testing services at Dynacare locations due to ongoing staffing and labour challenges.

News source: Winnipeg Free Press (opens in a new tab)

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Manitoba pharmacy college fines pharmacist over tenfold anti-psychotic dosing error

The College of Pharmacists of Manitoba fined pharmacist Rumina Ishani $3,500 plus $5,000 in costs for professional misconduct. The disciplinary action follows an August 2025 incident where the pharmacist failed to verify a prescription, resulting in a patient receiving a 20mg dose of an anti-psychotic instead of the prescribed 2mg.

This case serves as a reminder to ensure rigorous verification of drug dosages and patient identification during the clinical review process.

News source: Winnipeg Free Press (opens in a new tab)

Services & workforce3 days agoManitobaPrairie Mountain Health

Brandon emergency department staff face rising violence amid persistent staffing shortages

The Manitoba Nurses Union warns chronic staffing shortages and mounting security risks are pushing Brandon emergency room staff to their limits. MNU president Darlene Jackson calls the ER 'very chaotic' — nurses are increasingly threatened, punched and spat on. One nurse was threatened with a needle in 2025, and a patient recently entered the ER carrying a knife. The union wants two physicians on duty around the clock plus a third at peak, but Doctors Manitoba says coverage is rarely full. Patients face long waits: kidney-cancer patient Michael Houston waited 13+ hours.

Frontline ER safety and staffing in Brandon — Prairie Mountain Health is rolling out handheld metal-detecting wands alongside safety officers and cameras, and the Health Minister says AI weapons scanners like Winnipeg's and more staff are under consideration.

News source: CBC News (opens in a new tab)

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Fatality inquiry examines emergency department overcrowding and patient capacity issues in Edmonton

A fatality inquiry heard that Prashant Sreekumar, 44, died on Dec. 22, 2025 after waiting about eight hours in the Grey Nuns emergency department in Edmonton for chest pain. A doctor testified the hospital's five general medicine units have run above capacity since at least 2024, with occupancy around 101 per cent in 2025, and that 20 to 30 per cent of beds hold patients who no longer need hospital care. The inquiry resumes in December.

The testimony puts numbers to ER overcrowding: more patients than beds, and a fifth to a third of beds taken by patients awaiting placement elsewhere.