Similar to its Saskatchewan neighbour to the West, Manitoba is challenged with a spread-out and rural population. Paired with harsh prairie winters and mosquitoes the size of birds in the summer, it has been difficult to recruit and retain family doctors in Manitoba.

However, Manitoba has recently answered the call – it came up with a forthcoming and unique set of payments for its family doctors. They have kept all of their fee-for-service payments and added on yearly panel payments based on patient age and medical complexity. They have nodded to the unpaid administrative time family doctors face with a small stipend, they offer a decent amount for continuing medical education, a small retention benefit, and middle-of-the-road parental benefits.

With all of these improvements, we were surprised to see Manitoba didn’t get a higher rating. However, their taxation rate, their focus on large patient panel, and the stiff competition from some of the other provinces has Manitoba clocking in at only number 8 of 12. A few more tweaks (for example, increasing the basic fee-for-service payments to be more competitive, or a guaranteed hourly pay for indirect patient care) could see them rise up in the ranks.