MAHCP is calling on our provincial government to develop and execute a provincial allied health workforce plan to address staffing and workload issues and invest in a strong, sustainable system for the future.
Manitoba’s healthcare system is struggling to recruit and retain skilled allied health professionals. Patient volumes — in diagnostics, mental health, home care, emergency settings, and more — have surged, but staffing has not kept pace.
Soaring vacancy rates have resulted in prolonged levels of overtime, eroded morale, and negative impacts on patient care, creating circumstances in which Manitobans find themselves waiting longer and travelling further from home to access the care they need.
Here are just some examples of the impact of allied health staffing shortages:
- In home care, a recent MNU report noted that over a 10-year period the number of clients grew by more than 41%, but total nursing hours increased only 2%. A 2023 provincial report noted many home care and long-term care workers say they “feel rushed most days” — evidence of unsustainable workloads.
- Up to 10 minutes for response to a rural or Northern emergency medical 911 phone call due to staffing shortages.
- As of May 2023, ambulance response times had increased by roughly 30% since 2018 due to a staggering 40% vacancy rate among rural paramedics.
- More frequent intermittent closures of rural EDs, forced to shut down for extended periods due to lack of diagnostic staff.
- Unacceptable wait times for diagnostic procedures, from MRIs to mammograms. The annual median wait for an MRI in Manitoba is at its highest level since at least 2019, with Provincial data suggesting annual median MRI waits have gone up to 26 weeks so far in 2025 from 20 weeks in 2023.
- Climbing caseloads and vacancy rates for social workers in HSC’s Adult Emergency Department, who provide critical services to patients with complex needs and are vital to reducing ED wait times. In November 2024, the vacancy rate for HSC’s AED social workers rose to 48%.
In May 2024, more than two-thirds of respondents to an MAHCP member survey told us they were seriously considering leaving their job, with many also saying they were seriously considering leaving health care altogether.
Although MAHCP made some headway in addressing long-standing wage disparities for some of our member disciplines during the last round of collective bargaining, wages for many high demand allied health professions still lag behind other jurisdictions. Manitoba is not competitive.