Majority of Manitobans say state of health-care is poor: poll

A doctor is seen in this file photo. (Pexels)

With Canada’s 13 premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau set to meet on Tuesday to discuss health-care, a new poll shows how Manitobans are feeling about the state of health-care and how funding should work.

The poll, which conducted by the Angus Reid Institute at the beginning of February, found that 77 per cent of Manitobans said the state of health-care in the province is poor. Manitoba’s health-care system is currently facing staffing shortages, as well as long wait times.

The survey also found that 36 per cent of Manitobans believe the provincial government is most responsible for the poor state of health-care, while 17 per cent said the federal government is most responsible. Thirty-eight per cent of Manitoba respondents said both governments are equally responsible.

The poll results come the day before Trudeau and the premiers will be sitting down to find a path toward a new long-term health-care funding deal.

The federal government has been frustrated over the lack of accountability from provinces over health-care transfers made during the pandemic, and is adamant this will not be the case with the funding deal. Now, Ottawa is asking that provinces meet certain conditions to get a health-care transfer increase.

As for how Manitobans feel about this, 48 per cent of respondents said provinces should receive health-care funding without conditions, and 37 per cent said the feds should demand reforms, even if this delays a new agreement.

Angus Reid also asked people’s thoughts on what Ontario is doing to offload care to third parties. In Ontario, doctors at private, for-profit clinics are taking on certain services, such as hip and knee surgeries and MRIs; however, they are paid for with public funds.

The survey found that 65 per cent of Manitobans support implementing this idea in the province, while 26 per cent are against it.

Angus Reid polled 1,726 Canadian adults from Feb. 1 to 3 for this survey. The results have a margin of error of plus-minus 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

 

- With files from The Canadian Press.