Manitoba Expands Health Links with New Physician Pilot Program

The Manitoba government has unveiled a plan to enhance the Health Links–Info Santé service by adding physicians to its team. This initiative, announced last week, aims to improve the guidance provided to callers seeking medical advice. For many years, individuals reaching out to this nurse-managed phone line often received the same response: “Go to the ER.” The addition of two doctors, available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. during a six-month pilot project, promises to offer more precise assessments and potentially better access to primary care.

While the early statistics suggest an encouraging trend—during the first ten days of the pilot, only 10 out of 160 callers were advised to visit the ER—experts caution against overestimating the impact of this service on emergency room (ER) congestion. The Manitoba government’s assertion that this initiative will significantly alleviate overcrowding in ERs may be overly optimistic and could distract from deeper systemic issues contributing to the problem.

The Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) has consistently highlighted that low-acuity patients, such as those with minor ailments, do not significantly contribute to ER overcrowding. A CAEP report from 2022 emphasized, “Low-acuity or what some deem ‘inappropriate’ visits are NOT the cause of ED overcrowding.” This misconception needs to be addressed, as it overlooks the patients who genuinely require urgent care but face barriers to accessing timely medical support.

The unfortunate case of Genevieve Price, an 82-year-old who passed away after enduring a 30-hour wait in a Grace Hospital ER hallway, underscores the urgency of this issue. Her tragic experience exemplifies the real challenges faced by patients needing immediate care, which are not solved by simply diverting low-acuity cases.

Manitoba has previously attempted various strategies to alleviate ER congestion, including enhancing access to walk-in clinics and investing in virtual care. In March 2024, Brian Schoonbaert, the outgoing CEO of Prairie Mountain Health, expressed hope that a newly opened minor injury and illness clinic in Brandon would decrease ER visits at the Brandon Regional Health Centre. Despite these efforts, wait times in ERs and urgent-care facilities across the province, particularly in Winnipeg, remain unacceptably high.

The core issue driving ER congestion is more complex than merely managing low-acuity patients. Hospitals in Manitoba frequently operate at or above capacity, leading to a critical shortage of staffed beds. Patients who require admission often lack adequate placement options, resulting in prolonged ER stays for those who should be receiving care elsewhere. This bottleneck hampers the flow of new patients, forcing many to wait in hallways or even in ambulances.

Addressing the ER crisis in Manitoba demands more than incremental adjustments. It calls for substantial investments in acute-care beds, improved hospital throughput, enhanced home-care support, and increased capacity in personal care homes. A comprehensive recruitment strategy for nurses, paramedics, physicians, and allied health staff is essential to ensure adequate patient care.

While the pilot program to add physicians to Health Links is a positive step, it is not a comprehensive solution to the ongoing crisis in Manitoba’s emergency departments. Without significant structural reforms and a commitment to improving patient flow, the fundamental challenges of ER overcrowding will persist.