Physiotherapists in Manitoba are questioning why the province has determined to cowl post-operative care at simply three physiotherapy clinics — all situated in Winnipeg and all privately run.

“You’ve this consumer base that doubtless have relationships with [their own] physios in the neighborhood, and now they cannot see them in the event that they wish to entry the general public funding as a result of they’re being redirected and funneled into these three explicit clinics,” mentioned Anna DiMarco, president of the Manitoba Physiotherapy Affiliation.

“And naturally, the two-tier health-care system that has occurred, we want that to not be part of this equation.”

In response to a advice from the diagnostic and surgical restoration process pressure, the province is providing funding for post-op outpatient physiotherapy and rehabilitation to sufferers who’ve had complete hip and knee substitute surgical procedures.

Earlier protection for complete hip substitute physio was reduce a number of years in the past, whereas the cuts to knee physio got here in 2017.

The province has not made a proper announcement in regards to the funding. MLA James Teitsma posted about it on Fb on Nov. 22, itemizing the three personal clinics as Elite Sports activities Harm, Pure Way of life and the Wellness Institute, which is predicated at Seven Oaks Normal Hospital.

As much as six particular person physiotherapy classes or 10 group classes shall be accessible at one of many three suppliers contracted to supply providers, Teitsma posted.

CBC Information reached out to the province to ask in regards to the adjustments. An electronic mail from a spokesperson mentioned, “Our authorities is offering physiotherapy to assist a profitable restoration for hip and knee orthopedic sufferers at three Winnipeg services as a result of it’s the proper factor to do. The diagnostic and surgical restoration is working so as to add extra suppliers for this service within the close to future.”

Whereas the Manitoba Physiotherapy Affiliation is “extremely excited” to have funding again for post-op care, DiMarco mentioned, he wonders why it was performed so quietly.

“There wasn’t lots of transparency about how this was performed, in order that typically is not wholesome in any sort of health-care mannequin the place we’re making an attempt to collaborate with companions,” she mentioned.

“We’re all type of going, ‘This simply would not look proper. One thing would not really feel proper and would not really feel honest for the sufferers or for the physiotherapy neighborhood.'”

Inequity

Providing the service at simply these three clinics suggests these suppliers are someway higher at offering that care, however complete hip and complete knee substitute care is a core competence any graduate physiotherapist can do, DiMarco mentioned.

Then there’s the inequity between sufferers in Winnipeg and people in rural Manitoba, he mentioned.

“I feel the simplest answer would have been to determine the way to fund it within the personal clinics which are unfold all through town and in rural Manitoba,” she mentioned.

“If we had allowed the funding to go wherever the affected person needed to go, these suppliers have been completely able to offering the care that was required. The sufferers would have had larger entry and extra honest entry.”

DiMarco hopes the province will hear the physiotherapy affiliation’s issues and regulate funding fashions sooner or later.

“We have been advised that this was a short-term answer, and that they might be completely different fashions of entry … and that there is a longer-term plan, however we’re not privileged to any of that but,” she mentioned.