Manitoba Health

Primary Care

Primary care is the foundation of the health care system and a priority for Manitobans. You, and others like you across the country, have let us know what you want in a primary care system. It includes:

• faster access
• options to get care outside office hours
• access to a regular doctor who’s part of a team of other health care providers (such as dietitian, nurse practitioner, midwife, occupational therapist)
• a greater focus on promoting good health and preventing disease
• access to a person’s health information by health providers involved in their care
• better connections between health and other sectors in co-ordinating an individual’s care
• better communications on how to find resources, and how to access needed information within a large, institutional  health care system
• involvement by individuals in their own care and health care decisions
• a “door” to care for those who might not look for or know where to go for services.

What is primary care? Primary care is your first point of contact with the health care system.  Many types of care you receive can be described as primary care. For example, primary care refers to those times when you receive a diagnosis, treatment or help with a health problem, or even when a health care provider talks with you about staying healthy and preventing illness. Many people think of primary care as typically provided by family doctors, but it can include nurses, midwives, dietitians, pharmacists, mental health professionals, therapists and others. Primary care services lead to: less need for hospital and emergency department visits safer care more satisfied patients lower health care costs  (This is  especially true when health care is delivered by teams of providers that may include doctors, nurses, dietitians or any number  of  health professionals . The care offered crosses programs and services, supports long-term doctor/patient relationships and provides faster, more focused access to primary care. Primary care is the key to maintaining and improving your health. Good primary care leads to a high-quality, sustainable health care system.

Manitoba is committed to supporting a consistent, co-ordinated, primary care system that meets your needs and the needs of your families and communities.  In 2010, the Government of Manitoba announced that “every Manitoban will have access to a family physician by 2015.” 

To achieve this goal, Manitoba is building on existing efforts to create a system of services you can count on for high quality primary care, no matter where you are in the province. Initiatives at the forefront of primary care reform in Manitoba include: the Provincial Health Contact Centre; TeleCARE Manitoba and MBTelehealth; the introduction of midwifery and nurse practitioner legislation; Bridging General and Specialist Care (BGSC); QuickCare Clinics,  Advanced Access; and the Physician Integrated Network (PIN).

Regional health authorities (RHAs) and physician group practices have also supported primary care by adding staff (such as physicians, nurse practitioners, dietitians, mental health professionals, physiotherapists), and forming teams that offer co-ordinated services in community health centres, access centres and across RHA communities. These team efforts mark the beginning of Primary Care Networks.