Digital health cards available to Manitobans

Manitobans are now able to download a digital copy of their health card to their mobile device.

The Manitoba government has launched digital health cards, which it hopes will make health care more accessible and convenient.

On Monday, the province announced that residents with an active personal health identification number—which can be found on your health card—can request a digital version online. The card will be stored on MB wallet, a digital app that stores and manages personal information, according to the province.

“Having access to your health card on your phone makes one small part of an already difficult situation, or a health emergency, just a little bit easier for families in this province,” said Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara during a Monday news conference.

“This really does matter in cases of emergencies, maybe during evacuations, including wildfires…. People often had to leave their homes or their settings very quickly without that moment and that opportunity to grab and gather all of their documents,” Asagwara said.

Manitobans with a physical health card who are requesting a digital card can expect to receive it within two hours after submitting their request, according to the province’s website.

The NDP government previously announced in its throne speech last year that digital health cards would be available in January. Premier Wab Kinew said the digital health card is an optional alternative to the plastic health card that began rolling out last year.

“We’re moving from paper to plastic, and now we’re moving from plastic to pixels,” Kinew said.

The digital health card initiative comes with an approximate $1.9 million price tag, he added.

The province said it also launched a pilot project last year at several hospitals that uses QR code scanners to input health card information instead of entering the data manually.

“The next steps that we’re looking at here are some more enhancements to the digital health card and the digital wallet,” Asagwara said.

The minister noted the province hopes to have a provincial electronic patient record system by 2027.