Manitoba health news: the province is looking to add physician run clinics to Medinav, the online booking system Manitobans use to grab same day and next day appointments for non emergency care, and Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara says the aim is clinics that are open and available when people actually need a doctor.
By Maplestime News Desk | Winnipeg, Manitoba | November 11, 2026
Sources: CBC News | Last updated: November 11, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Manitoba is looking at adding independent physician run clinics to Medinav, the province’s centralized online booking system for non emergency appointments.
- Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara says the government wants clinics on the system with access to diagnostics and lab services, including in the evening.
- No number of clinics, no named clinics and no start date have been announced yet. This is a plan under consideration, not a finished rollout.
- Doctors Manitoba says it has been asking for this since spring 2025 and has not had an update in over a year.
- More than 91,000 appointments have been booked through Medinav since it launched, with 5,000 to 7,000 bookings a month now.
What Asagwara Is Planning
The Manitoba government is planning to add more walk-in clinics to the online booking system that has helped patients avoid hours long waits to see a doctor for non emergency concerns.
Asagwara said the government is looking at adding independent physician run clinics to Medinav that are as “open and available for Manitobans as possible.”
The government wants clinics on Medinav with “access to diagnostics, to lab services and all of the reasons why somebody would choose to go to a clinic at 8:00 at night,” Asagwara said.
“It’s a Manitoba-made success,” Asagwara said. “It’s a model that is based on convenience and it’s working for Manitobans.”
Be clear about what has not been announced: no number of clinics, no named clinics and no start date. This is a plan the minister described, not a rollout with a date attached.
How Medinav Works Today
Medinav is the province’s centralized online booking system for non emergency medical appointments. Medinav.ca offers same day or next day appointments at participating publicly run clinics across Manitoba.
It launched about two years ago with a promise of same day and next day appointments, including evenings, weekends and holidays.
The idea is to steer patients with non emergency issues to clinics where they can be seen quickly, instead of waiting hours in an emergency department, an urgent care centre or a walk-in clinic.
Only government run clinics are on the system today: four extended hours primary care clinics in Winnipeg, two minor injury and illness clinics, five walk-in connected care options and two QuickCare Clinics.
Patients can still walk into clinics and book by phone if that suits them better. Some doctor offices let patients book online, but they are not part of the centralized provincial system.
Related: Health Ministers Meeting 2026 — Winnipeg Hosts Provinces As Ottawa Extends $1.2B In Mental Health Funding
Doctors Manitoba Wants In
Doctors Manitoba, the physician advocacy organization, says it wants Medinav opened to physician run clinics because doctors are eager to fill available appointments and patients would benefit from hundreds more locations on the platform.
The organization met with government officials in spring 2025 about the idea, “recognizing there is added work and maintenance for doctors to connect their schedules to this tool, but we haven’t received an update in over a year,” it said in a statement.
A spokesperson said Doctors Manitoba is eager to resume those discussions with government.
The Numbers Behind Medinav
More than 91,000 appointments have been made through Medinav since it launched, according to government figures cited by CBC.
Monthly bookings passed 1,000 in January 2025, climbed above 3,000 by that summer and topped 5,000 by early 2026. Since then, 5,000 to 7,000 bookings have been made every month.
What This Means for Patients
Kelly Harris, an education and training co-ordinator with Indigenous Health, told CBC she has recommended Medinav to family and friends. She likes spending just minutes waiting in a doctor’s office, but values even more the time providers take to listen. “I’ve never felt rushed,” Harris said. “They’ve taken the time to really talk to me, talk about what’s going on.” That has not always been her experience at walk-in clinics, she said, where physicians move quickly to the next patient because a lineup is waiting.
The wider picture is mixed. A 2025 OurCare survey led by University of Toronto researchers found nearly 89 per cent of Manitobans report having a regular primary care provider, the highest share in the country. But among Manitobans with a provider, only nearly 29 per cent could be seen for urgent care the same day or next day, below the national average of 37 per cent. That gap is exactly what a bigger Medinav is meant to close.
Maplestime will provide updates from Medinav and Manitoba primary care as announcements are made.
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Should physician run clinics get a spot on Medinav, or should the province keep the booking system for government run clinics only? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every Manitoban who has waited hours in a walk-in clinic.
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