Manitoba ranked seventh among the provinces in a recent study of Canada's health-care system from a consumer perspective.

The Health Consumer Index, produced by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, compares provincial health care in a "consumer-focused benchmarking of Canada's provincial health-care systems."

Manitoba's scores on the indicators covering five main areas — patient rights and information, primary care, waiting times, outcomes and the range of services provided — were, with one exception, average or below average. Manitoba's ranking on how long patients have to wait for treatment was the worst in the country.

The province rated second-best only in the area of primary health care.

"That's partly because we [have] reasonably well-established midwifery and home care running throughout Manitoba, although … that depends largely upon region within the province," said Rebecca Walberg, one of the index's authors.

"We are the worst out of all 10 for waiting times and we also have very limited access to specialists and general practitioners and also to new drugs."

Walberg said the most important thing Manitoba can do to change its rating it to try to ensure more people have access to family doctors, which she said would be a first step in reducing wait times.

"We need to start using information technology more effectively. Electronic patient records — to keep track of things like test results, like drug records and also drug allergies — have a proven track record of making health care much safer and also much less expensive," she said.

"We should also look at how quickly we add new drugs to the formulary."

Walberg suggested the provinces look to each other, rather than outside the country, to find ways to improve medical care.