The provincial government says the queues have been cleared after pledging to process thousands of backlogged Manitoba Health Card applications.
More than 9,000 medical card applications remained in the queue in January, and bureaucratic backups rose to about 24,000 in mid-November.
“There are no outstanding medical card applications in the queue to be processed,” a state spokesperson said in an email this week.
“The ministry has set up a hotline, added support staff to help Manitobans deal with incomplete or incorrect applications, and sent letters to those who may not have received their cards urging them to make corrections. We urge you to check your email and voicemail.”
The majority of health card applications are processed within two weeks. Manitoba Health's website lists the oldest application currently being processed as being submitted on his April 2nd date.
Although you can register or change your Manitoba Health Card online or by phone, many people still visit Manitoba Health Headquarters at 300 Carleton Street for help.
A sign pasted on the front door warns that staff are reducing the number of people at the counter and over the phone in order to focus on applications.
“To speed up the processing of applications, we are temporarily reducing our counter and telephone services. Thank you for your understanding,” the sign reads.
A state spokesperson said the sign was outdated and had been “previously posted while an improved applicant vetting process was in place,” and that the sign was removed after being contacted by the Free Press. He said it had been removed.
On Thursday morning, a line of about a dozen people snaked outside the registration and customer service office, filled with people holding registration forms and waiting to be seen. A security guard at the office said the wait was about two hours, but those who arrived before the office opened at 8:30 a.m. had shorter wait times.
Miles Wood was among those waiting. He needs to see a doctor to have his eyes examined, but before that he has to exchange his health card. He flew in from the Island Lake community to submit his application, which he said he expects to only take two weeks to process.
Wood was scheduled to undergo eye surgery, but the surgery was cancelled. He is currently in the process of rescheduling the surgery, but he is worried that getting caught up in red tape will force him to abandon the procedure.
“Maybe if it takes longer I'll change my mind,” he said.
Another applicant finally left the country with a health card number after moving to Winnipeg and applying in February.
The woman, who did not give her name, said she called to receive updates on her application but was unable to get through.
Desperate, she called her MLA. The MLA was contacted on her behalf and asked to visit her office in person with her documents.
She had come with a loved one, who said they had to fight to get even the health card number, let alone the card itself.
“I had a discussion with (client services) and he ended up finding her application,” she said. “And he gave her her health number, so even though we don't have a card, we do have her number, so at least she can go to the doctor. ”
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The two said they were skeptical when they heard the lines were completely empty.
The investment to improve the health card application process was announced ahead of the NDP government's first budget in March. This includes the development of plastic health cards and the introduction of a new application process to streamline requests for new cards and changes to existing cards.
The state says these changes will take effect later this year.
Manitoba Health has issued more than 232,000 health cards and processed more than 118,000 change of address requests and more than 45,800 change of status requests in the 2022-23 fiscal year.
malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca
Malak Abbas
reporter
Malak Abbas is a reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press.
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