Manitoba Clinic restructuring, selling surplus equipment

An inner-city clinic is expecting a large drop in doctors operating inside it this spring.

The Manitoba Clinic was in court Wednesday morning.

A report from a court-appointed monitor, Alvarez & Marsal Canada, says in its current state the clinic is expected to be in the red by the end of April. The clinic is expecting the number of physicians working in the building to drop from 56 to 36 in April.

Now it's planning a restructuring, significantly reducing the amount of space in the building's dedicated physicians' offices.

Executive director Keith McConnell says the loss of doctors is largely due to high levels of competition.

“There's also a movement as you’re seeing to move to the suburbs,” he said. “That is part of the challenge and the opportunity of a clinic to restructure and work with a multidisciplinary clinic like the Manitoba Clinic in the province.

The clinic was given extension of stay by the court until the end of April to give it more time to find new tenants, gather the 2022 financial accounting, and finalize a restructuring plan.

The clinic was also given court approval to sell surplus medical equipment, including colposcopes.

It'll be back in court to report on its progress on April 21. 

The clinic is speaking with the Province of Manitoba, looking to possibly lease exam rooms, rent exam and X-ray space, or sell the building.

"The Manitoba Clinic is a privately owned business. Manitoba Health is aware of financial issues and has engaged in a number of ways to assist the corporation," a spokesperson from the province said in an email.

They also say there are ongoing efforts to provide resolutions for the clinic's challenges.

"Over the years, since the Manitoba Clinic was built, our government has advised the corporation of opportunities to partner with a number of organizations such as the Health Sciences Centre, Cancer Care Manitoba, Cancer Care Manitoba Foundation and numerous other foundations."