Plastic health cards soon to replace paper ones in Manitoba, Premier Wab Kinew says | CBC News
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Plastic health cards could replace paper ones in Manitoba as soon as next year, Premier Wab Kinew says.
The move is part of the upcoming provincial budget to be announced on Tuesday, and will include plastic and digital options to replace the existing paper health card, Kinew says. Work on the design of the new card will begin this year.
He says his own health card is in bad shape.
“It’s all torn up across the top. You can’t really see the Manitoba logo. You can barely see my health number,” Kinew told guest host Laurie Hoogstraten in a Thursday interview with CBC Manitoba’s Radio Noon.
“So yeah, I’d say we’re due for an upgrade.”
The change is in response to long wait times for health cards, Kinew says. In light of a 24,000 application backlog, the province doubled staffing capacity at Manitoba’s health department to speed up processing times last October, according to a Thursday news release.
“As a result, we’ve been able to work through the backlog,” Kinew said.
The province has also committed to a two-week waiting period for a new or replacement health card, which is down from the previous standard of four weeks, he said.
“This is a pretty basic government service — making sure that you can get your health card and that you can access health care.”
The province was able to find the funds within the health department’s existing budget to beef up its staff and tackle the backlog, he said.
A hotline and extra support staff are also available to help Manitobans with incomplete applications or ones that contain errors. The province urges any applicants who have not yet received their health card to check for letters, emails or voicemails requesting a correction.
Manitobans looking for an update about their health cards can call 204-786-7101 or toll-free at 1-800-392-1207.
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