Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen (CHRISD.CA FILE)
WINNIPEG — Consolidation efforts are being made by the Manitoba government to centralize the roles of regional health authorities across the province.
A new organization called Shared Health Services Manitoba has been created to focus on patient-centred planning.
Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen says the new entity will be led by Dr. Brock Wright, chief medical officer of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
Some health care services will be managed centrally as they reach across more than one region, such as the operation of Health Sciences Centre, including Children’s Hospital, Transplant Manitoba, provincial laboratories, diagnostic imaging and emergency medical services including ambulance services and dispatch.
Regional health authorities will focus more on front-line health care and participate in provincial planning to ensure the delivery of effective services to all Manitobans, Goertzen said.
Goertzen says there will be efficiencies in some departments, but couldn’t say if any positions would be cut.
The changes come from the Provincial Clinical and Preventive Services Planning for Manitoba report by Dr. David Peachey (the ‘Peachey report’) and the 2016-17 KPMG Healthcare Sustainability and Innovation Review.
