Manitoba deal addresses rural concerns CMAJ 1997;157:503 © 1997 Canadian Medical Association Manitoba's rural physicians have ratified an agreement that will pay them a fixed hourly rate or per diem payment for providing emergency services in rural areas. The agreement will add $2.5 million of new money to pay rural physicians. The plan is modelled after a similar system operating in several rural Ontario communities and was proposed as a way to end emergency ward work stoppages by rural physicians. Approximately 60% of the nearly 300 eligible physicians voted on the agreement, with 80% voting to accept the proposal. Physicians in Brandon and Portage-la-Prairie rejected the deal, saying they are overworked and cannot provide 24-hour emergency coverage. Send a letter to the editor responding to this article Envoyez une lettre à la rédaction au sujet de cet article | CMAJ September 1, 1997 (vol 157, no 5) / JAMC le 1er septembre 1997 (vol 157, no 5) |