Emergency Response Services
Manitoba Health will cover medically-necessary, land ambulance inter-facility transports when the patient is being transported between designated health-care facilities for diagnostic tests or treatment, or from a more specialized level of care to another facility closer to home for rehabilitation or recovery.
Emergency Response Services is provided by Shared Health Manitoba.
- Eligibility criteria for coverage of inter-facility medical transports includes:
- the patient must be a resident of Manitoba with a valid Manitoba Health card,
- the patient must medically require transportation by ambulance as determined by a physician, and
- the patient is being transferred between designated health-care facilities for diagnostic tests or treatment, or from a more specialized level of care to another facility closer to home for rehabilitation or recovery.
Consistent with practices in many other provinces, patients will still be responsible for emergency ambulance transportation costs. These costs may be covered by other insurance coverage. First- or third-party insurers will continue to cover these services for their clients. Examples of first- or third-party insurers include the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, National Defence, the Worker’s Compensation Board and Manitoba Public Insurance.
- Listing of communities not serviced by 911
- Out of province transport of Manitobans
- Air Ambulance Transfer
- Ambulance Billing
We do our best to keep this page up to date but we are not advised if and when changes occur. Please check with your town or RM office if you don’t know what number to dial in the event of an emergency. For communities without 911 service, the front of your phone book will list emergency numbers or check Enhanced 911 in Manitoba.
Calling for an ambulance is the best thing you can do in a medical emergency. Is it an emergency?
Most areas in Manitoba support 911 calling.
There are a few areas that still require a call to a 10-digit number. These include (this may not be a complete or up-to-date listing):
- Dauphin River 204-659-2500
- Fairford 204-659-2500
- Fisher Branch 204-645-4141
- Gypsumville 204-659-2500
- Hecla-Grindstone 204-642-4040
- Lake Manitoba First Nation 204-768-9711
- Lake St. Martin 204-659-2500
- Little Saskatchewan 204-659-2500
- Pine Dock 204-642-4040
- Fort Alexander 204-367-2333
If you require an ambulance while out of the Province there are no subsidies/coverage from the Manitoba government. You will be charged by the ambulance service/company that provides the service at full cost recovery. The rate for out of province ambulance service may be substantially higher than rates charged local residents, as local subsidies will not apply.
A Manitoba ambulance may transport you if you require routine medical care in a bordering province to a neighbouring provincial facility. Ambulance costs would be billed at local Manitoba rates.
Manitoba Physicians in border areas should be aware that referrals to neighbouring provinces may have significant financial consequences to you, the patient. Should the physician in the bordering hospital elect to refer you for specialized care within that province, you would be subject to the full cost recovery fee charged by that Province at a non-resident rate for transport. Transportation costs from out of province hospitals are not an insured service.
Air Ambulance Transfers
Air ambulance transfers may be an insured service:
- Patients meeting the acuity requirements for transportation may be fully insured for the air component of the transport but are responsible for all costs associated with land ambulance transport to and from the airport
- Patients located north of the 53rd parallel qualify for the Northern Patient Transportation Program for medically necessary transportation
- First nation residents living on reserves may also qualify for medical air or land transportation under federal programs
- Physicians are encouraged to contact Manitoba Health Out-of-Province claims prior to referring any patient to an out of province hospital.
- More details on Paramedics Providing Palliative Care at Home
For inquiries related to ambulance billing for the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority.
