A doctor wears a lab coat and stethoscope in an exam room at a health clinic in Calgary, Friday, July 14, 2023. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)
Manitoba has the highest reported rate of access to primary care in Canada, according to the 2025 OurCare National Survey.
The survey found 88.8 percent of respondents in Manitoba said they have a regular primary care provider, such as a family doctor, nurse practitioner or primary care clinic. The national average was 82.8 percent.
“It’s encouraging to see that nearly 89 per cent of Manitobans report having a regular primary care provider but our goal is 100 percent,” said Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara, in a statement.
The survey, released on Thursday, was conducted by researchers at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at the University of Toronto and supported by the Canadian Medical Association.
Across Canada, the survey estimates nearly 5.8 million people do not have access to primary care.
Researchers say timely and after-hours access to care remains a challenge nationally.
“Through the OurCare initiative, we had dialogues with hundreds of people across the country, including dozens in Manitoba, about what they wanted to see in a better primary care system,” said Dr. Tara Kiran, family physician and researcher at Unity Health Toronto’s MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions.
“People were clear, everyone deserves access to high-quality primary care no matter where they live.”
The Manitoba government says it has added a net increase of 285 physicians since 2023. It also reports that 89 percent of family medicine residents who completed training in 2025 chose to remain in the province and begin clinical practice.
More information about the survey is available at ourcare.ca/survey.
