Health care looking up in Manitoba as 106 MDs graduate from local university

106 doctor of medicine graduates passed from the hard work of academia into the harder work of a career in a province struggling to keep up with health care needs and demands.

Health care just got a little better.

On Thursday morning, 106 doctor of medicine (MD) graduates strolled across the University of Manitoba’s (U of M) convocation stage, representing years of hard work, and passed over into a career of harder work in a province and country struggling to keep up with health care needs and demands.

But they are hopeful.

“Medical school was definitely a long, hard journey, and I don’t expect it to get any easier. But I’m grateful that I have the opportunity to be an advocate and really use my voice. It’s a great honour to become a physician, especially in the state that health care is right now,” said newly-minted Dr. Gillian McIvor.

President of Doctors Manitoba and U of M grad of ’83, Dr. Randy Guzman, described that state as challenging.

“Post-COVID, we never recovered the health care force,” he said. “So there are physician shortages as well as everywhere else, and so the waitlists are longer.”

Doctors Manitoba says the province has the lowest number of physicians per capita in Canada, and would need 445 more to get to meet the country’s average.

Despite these shortcomings, many graduates are not shying away from a career in the province. In fact, 73 per cent of this year’s graduating class will stay in-province for their residency, the U of M said. That’s about on par with other years.