More than 53,000 Manitobans took advantage of free birth control in the first year of the provincial program
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The province says more than 53,000 Manitobans have taken advantage of birth control at no cost in the first year of the provincial government’s free contraception program.
Starting in October 2024, eligible residents can have the cost of approximately 60 commonly used birth control methods — including birth control pills, intrauterine devices (IUDs), hormonal implants and contraceptive injections — fully covered by the provincial Pharmacare program.
A prescription and a Manitoba Health Card are required to access the program. People who do not have coverage from any other federal or provincial program are eligible.
Between Oct. 2, 2024, and Oct. 21, 2025, more than 53,000 people received free birth control through the program, a provincial spokesperson said in a statement to CBC News.
it’s more than that population of brandon,
Over that period, 190,000 prescriptions for all types of contraceptives were dispensed, the spokesperson said. Nearly nine out of 10 of those prescriptions were for oral birth control — commonly known as “the pill.”
In a statement to CBC News, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said the large number of prescriptions filled is a “clear indication that the demand was real.”
Making birth control free for eligible Manitobans has “opened the doors” to people who previously could not afford contraceptives and are “Bringing meaningful change in people’s lives,” the minister said.
Winnipeg-based pharmacist Ryan Chan said it’s a “great program” that has brought smiles to many people’s faces since it was introduced last year.
“Most patients are happy,” he said. “When they found out it was free they were pretty happy.”
Britt Kural, a Winnipeg pharmacist and pharmacy practice advisor for Pharmacists Manitoba, said it’s a “nice surprise” for customers who no longer have to pay out-of-pocket for birth control.
“It’s really great for pharmacy teams to be able to share this good news with Manitobans as well,” Kural said.
Pharmacists are still waiting for prescribing powers
Kural says the program has made contraceptives more accessible from a cost perspective, but pharmacists could further reduce barriers if they were given prescribing powers.
To get free coverage, people must go to a hospital, doctor’s office or walk-in clinic to get a prescription written by a doctor or nurse practitioner.
More than 150,000 Manitobans don’t have a family doctor, according to Doctors Manitoba’s 2024 reportThe province has one of the lowest per capita doctor rates in Canada,
“Sometimes pharmacists may be the only access to care in some communities, or the most reliable access to care in some of those communities,” he said, adding that pharmacies are often open on evenings and weekends, when clinic hours may be shorter.
“We really see that there is an opportunity for pharmacists to improve access to a number of primary care services. Birth control is one of the things that is top of mind for pharmacists, but also for the Government of Manitoba at this time.”
In May, Asagawara said The government will give pharmacists the ability to prescribe contraceptive drugs. At the time, the minister said the government would move “very quickly”, with changes expected in “the coming days and weeks”.
The province reiterated that promise during november throne speechwith Lt.-Gov. Anita Neville Saying that Manitobans will be able to “skip the doctor’s office and pick up prescriptions for birth control, UTIs and common illnesses at your local pharmacy.”
Manitoba pharmacists are still waiting.
In a statement to CBC News on December 18, Asagwara said the province is “committed to making fertility care accessible,” adding that the government is “reviewing options” to make birth control more accessible, including expanding the role of pharmacists.
Kural said Manitoba is “lagging behind” other provinces, including neighboring Saskatchewan. Pharmacists allowed to prescribe birth control from 2018Manitoba and Ontario are the only Canadian provinces that do not authorize pharmacists to do so,
“We’re quite limited in the activities we can do in Manitoba, especially compared to other provinces. And we really see there’s an opportunity for pharmacists to fill some of the gaps that we see in health care,” he said.
Kural said she wants the province to make these changes “as soon as 2026.”
“We feel that Manitobans deserve the same level of care as other provinces,” he said.
