September 2, 2008
Province Boosts Incentives To Deliver More Doctors To Rural Manitoba
The province is expanding its rural health-care strategy by increasing incentives for students in Manitoba’s growing medical-school classes to build their careers in a rural community, Health Minister Theresa Oswald announced today.
“Manitoba is training more doctors than ever and we want to see these Manitoba-trained physicians practising where they’re needed most,” Oswald said. “Since taking office, we have steadily increased the rural-practice incentives we offer to medical students and today we are further expanding those grants.”
An additional $220,000 in funding will expand the successful Medical Student/Resident Financial Assistance Program, the minister said. Under the expansion, third-year medical students will be eligible for a provincial grant of $25,000, up from $15,000, if they commit to practising in a rural community for one year.
Introduced in May 2001, the Medical Student/Resident Financial Assistance Program provides a range of grants to future doctors in exchange for a return-of-service commitment. The province expects nearly 180 grants will be awarded to students this year alone.
The expanded rural-incentive grant announced today builds on a package of existing grants including:
· $15,000 grants for fourth-year medical students who commit to a one-year return of service in a Manitoba community;
· $20,000 grants for final-year family medicine residents who commit to a one-year return of service in a Manitoba community; and
· $20,000 grants for medical residents in the speciality resident program who commit to a one-year return of service for each year a grant is received.
All medical-school students are also eligible for a 60 per cent rebate on their tuition fees, worth up to $25,000, if they choose to live and work in Manitoba following their graduation.
The minister said expanding rural-practice incentives for front-line health professionals is a key plank in Manitoba’s rural health-care strategy. Under the strategy, the province has redeveloped health facilities across the province and increased funding to deliver more treatment and diagnostic services closer to home in communities provincewide.
Steady investment has increased the number of medical-school training spaces in Manitoba to
110 today from just 70 in 1999.
110 today from just 70 in 1999.
Training opportunities have also been increased for nurses with $3 million invested to begin training an additional 40 new nursing students this fall, expanding nurse training in more Manitoba communities, boosting investment in nurse recruitment and retention, and developing a new program to help more internationally trained nurses practise in Manitoba.
There are 288 more doctors practising in Manitoba today than in 1999, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba data shows, including 105 additional doctors in rural areas. The number of Manitoba nurses has increased by 1,789 during that period.
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Backgrounder
Better Health Care for Rural Manitoba - https://www.gov.mb.ca/asset_library/en/newslinks/2008/2008sept/RuralMedicineIncentives.HL.doc