Manitoba doctors overwhelmingly concerned about impacts of trade war, report says – Winnipeg

Stress over the potential impact of U.S. tariffs could have a detrimental effect on Manitobans’ heath, an organization representing physicians across the province says.

Doctors Manitoba president Randy Guzman said Thursday that a new survey of its members shows that most doctors in the province — 95 per cent of them — are concerned that the economic uncertainty could affect health-care and research funding, as well as potential cost increases for medical supplies and medications.

And that’s not including the possible impacts on individual patients who are dealing with heightened economic stress in their own lives.

“Economic impacts like inflation or job loss can have a direct impact on one’s health and well-being,” Guzman said.

“We’re already seeing the toll this prolonged and unpredictable uncertainty is taking on our patients, causing stress and anxiety.”

U.S. President Donald Trump has said his threatened tariffs against both Canada and Mexico are still going ahead as planned and are slated to take effect on March 4.

Guzman said he’d like to see the health-care system following the lead of other industries and adopting a “buy Canada” approach when it comes to supplies.

Doctors have also been asked to identify any equipment from the U.S. that could be vulnerable to increased prices or issues with the supply chain.

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“This is impacting all Manitobans — including doctors — and all Canadians,” Guzman said.

“We’re worried about the funding that could be diverted away so if people are focusing on tariffs, what about funding for health care, and the health-care costs, and the supply chain … the things we need to provide care can be potentially affected.”

To help Manitobans cope with the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the trade dispute with the U.S., Doctors Manitoba has published advice on the Getting Healthy website, with tips on how to tackle tariff-related stress.

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