Manitoba -  COPD Provincial Report Card Rating -   C+ (an overall mark of 69)

Note: The information contained herein (by province and Canada as a whole), has been extracted from  Canadian Lung Association's, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): a "National Report Card, 2005." 

Public Awareness & Attitudes:

• Provincial Awareness - 56%
• Unsympathetic towards smokers -42% (i.e. they get what they deserve)
• 94% believe COPDer's should have access to the best medications

Physician Awareness, Attitudes, Familiarity with CTS (Canadian Thoracic Society) Treatment Guidelines

• 91% feel Comfortable managing COPD
• 65% say they're very knowledgeable about the disease symptoms
• % of Dr's acknowledging  discrimination towards smokers with respect to quality of care  - no report
•  patients who said  their quality of health care was less because they were, or had been, smokers - no report
• 87% of the Dr's were familiar with CTS guidelines

Access to and Use of Spirometry

• 78% of the physicians acknowledged access to spirometry testing
• 44% of the physicians have used spirometry to diagnose COPD
• 35% of physicians are comfortable interpreting the results.

Physician Prescribing Habits & Access to COPD Medications

• 65% of physicians reported they follow the CTS guidelines most of the time
• 9% follow them all of the time
• 65% of Dr's (2 out of 3) are unable to prescribe the best (latest) medications due to  reimbursement restrictions.

Why?        Have you ever asked your MP or provincial Minister of Health?

Taken from Health Canada's Web Site....."The federal government provides funding through cash and tax transfers to the provinces and territories to help pay for health care services, but the actual delivery of services is a provincial/territorial responsibility. "

To find out who your MP is with complete contact info, all you need to do at the site  listed below is enter your postal code.

Find Your MP Now

Your provincial Health Minister is:  Hon. Theresa Oswald

                                                                 Room 302, Legislative Bldg,

                                                                 450 Broadway, Winnipeg, MB, R3C 0V8                                                                    Tel::  (204) 945-3731  Fax:  (204) 945-0441

                                                                 E Mail: minhlt@leg.gov.mb.ca

Note:  Click here to view the Lung Association's FULL report card