Winnipeg remains key destination for Southern Manitoba hospital care

Winnipeg remains a major destination for hospital care among Southern Manitoba residents, with 43 per cent of hospitalizations and in-hospital births involving residents of the Southern Health-Santé Sud region taking place in the provincial capital.

The figures are contained in Southern Health-Santé Sud’s 2026 Population Health Assessment, which examines health-care use and population trends across the region.

The reliance on Winnipeg comes as Southern Manitoba’s population is projected to grow by another 19 per cent by 2035, raising questions about how health services will meet demand as the region expands.

Southern Health-Santé Sud, however, says the figures do not necessarily indicate a lack of hospital capacity or services in the region.

“The Manitoba health-care system is designed as a provincial system, serving all Manitobans based on their health-care needs,” the regional health authority said in response to questions about the data.

“As a result, it is expected that Manitobans will at times need to receive care outside of the region where they live.”

The health authority said 73 per cent of the total hospital days for Southern Health-Santé Sud residents are spent at facilities within the region.

“This indicates that when residents require longer hospital stays, the majority of that care is provided closer to home,” it said.

Winnipeg’s role as a regional health-care destination is partly driven by the specialized services available in the city.

Winnipeg is home to Manitoba’s two tertiary acute-care hospitals, including Health Sciences Centre, which provides highly specialized services and functions as a provincial hospital for patients from across Manitoba.

Southern Health-Santé Sud said the hospitalization figures do not show what type of care patients received or which Winnipeg hospital they attended. Some of the hospitalizations would therefore involve services that are primarily or exclusively available in Winnipeg.

The assessment also shows that 31 per cent of physician and nurse practitioner visits involving Southern Health-Santé Sud residents take place in Winnipeg.

Within Southern Health-Santé Sud, just 35.7 per cent of physician and nurse practitioner visits occur in the district where the patient lives, the lowest rate among Manitoba’s health regions.

Southern Health-Santé Sud said patient movement is not exclusively toward Winnipeg.

Nearly 11 per cent of hospitalizations at Southern Health-Santé Sud facilities involve residents from outside the region, it said.

Geography also plays a role in how residents access care.

Four Southern Health districts border Winnipeg and account for about 21 per cent of the region’s population. For residents in those communities, accessing health services in Winnipeg can be more practical than travelling farther into Southern Manitoba.

The four districts also have some of the region’s highest income and education levels. They are the only Southern Health districts where rates of mood and anxiety disorders were not significantly lower than the provincial rate.

The population health assessment notes that differences in access to health services, including proximity to Winnipeg, may contribute to some of the health trends observed in those communities.

Southern Health-Santé Sud said it regularly monitors population and health-system data to determine where additional staffing and infrastructure may be required as the region grows.

The health authority is expanding its three regional centres and increasing personal-care-home capacity at Boyne Lodge and Rest Haven as part of its planning for future demand.

Southern Health-Santé Sud said the goal is not necessarily to eliminate movement between health regions.

Instead, it said the provincial system is intended to ensure Manitobans can access the level of care they require, regardless of where they live.