FRANCAIS

March 19, 2004

The successful Family Doctor Connection phone line program, which connects Winnipeggers with family physicians accepting new patients, is being expanded to include all residents of the province, Health Minister Dave Chomiak announced today.

"The Family Doctor Connection phone line has been a tremendous success in Winnipeg," said Chomiak. "There have been more than 62,000 calls since the program was officially launched in 2002. Given the increasing complexity of the health care system, people need a family doctor more than ever."

"I am very pleased with this addition," said Dr. Bill Pope, registrar of the College of Physicians and Surgeons. "A central access point for patients to obtain information about finding a new family physician is a key communication component in the overall provision of good medical care."

A survey of rural physicians was completed in February with the goal of expanding the Family Doctor Connection phone line to the rest of the province. More than 170 physicians indicated they were willing to participate.

"A family physician is a key health care provider who guides patients to specialized health care services as required," said Chomiak. "Everyone needs a family doctor to ensure they receive timely health care."

Chomiak said the unveiling of the rural Family Doctor Connection line is an important component—improving health information services to the public—of the provincial government’s five-point wait list reduction plan.

"We are keeping our promise to expand the Family Doctor Connection phone line to rural Manitoba," said Chomiak. "We are meeting our commitment to an improved quality of life for all Manitobans through innovation today for a stronger tomorrow."

The provincewide phone line is operational effective immediately at 1-866-690-8260.

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The Rural Family Connection Phone Line is another initiative of Manitoba Health to improve access to primary health care services to all Manitobans no matter where they live. Some other improvements include:

• A $1.5 million expansion to HealthLinks/Info Sante, a free, confidential bilingual health advice telephone line staffed by registered nurses. The nurses provide callers with professional health advice, information or direction to the most appropriate care.
• The distribution of The InfoHealth Guide to all Manitobans. This important document assists Manitobans in accessing and understanding the province’s vital health care system.
• The creation of the Telehealth Network—a set of satellite video conference facilities throughout rural Manitoba connecting health care providers to patients, meaning less travel for northern patients, more access to medical specialists and better contacts for northern health care providers.
• The development by Manitoba Health of a series of advertising programs under the label InfoHealth that provided useful and helpful health information to Manitobans. These successful programs included: a child injury prevention program, the flu/pneumo immunization promotion, the Hepatitis B immunization promotion, the ER usage guide, the InfoHealth Guide, tobacco control, travel health insurance and prostate cancer early detection.
• Significant facility and equipment investments for rural hospitals, including an MRI for the Brandon Regional Medical Centre, a new CT scanner for Bethesda Hospital in Steinbach, ultrasound scanners for Thompson General Hospital and the Churchill Health Centre, a $58-million redevelopment of the Brandon Regional Health Centre, a $13-million capital investment project for the Johnson Memorial Hospital in Gimli and a $9-million personal care home in Ste. Anne.
• The creation of the Office of Rural and Northern Health, which supports provincial efforts to increase the number of physicians practising in rural and northern communities. This includes the promotion of medicine as a career to rural and northern students, the expansion of training opportunities and the restructuring of continuing education opportunities in rural and northern areas.
• The creation of the Medical Licensure Program for International Medical Graduates (MLPIMG), which assesses the medical knowledge and clinical skills of foreign-trained physicians. Physicians, who receive financial support from a rural regional health authority, promise to practice in rural Manitoba when they complete the program.
• The creation of a Farm and Rural Stress Line, a toll-free service designed to help farmers and people living in rural communities deal with stress and other mental health issues.