The Manitoba government has signed a five-year deal with Dynacare to continue laboratory services and open seven more sites in northeast Winnipeg and rural Manitoba.

The health-care company is also planning to deliver a mobile app that Manitobans can use to review test results.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara told 680 CJOB’s The News that there’s no timeline yet for the app, but the value of the overall contract with Dynacare is $42.4 million in 2025-26 — the same as the previous year.

The company already has 21 locations across the province, 14 of which are in Winnipeg.

“Manitobans need more access to lab services, not less,” Asagwara said.

“So we’ve been working with Dynacare to make sure that Manitobans have access to more sites, that there’s standardizations in terms of how that care is delivered, that there’s expectations in terms of how that care is delivered, and that we’re really modernizing lab services for Manitobans.”

The minister said the move toward digital technology is part of a push toward ease of access for patients provincewide.

“It’s really about bringing Manitoba health care into the modern era. We have been so far behind other jurisdictions and it’s unacceptable, frankly, that health-care workers are still using paper charts, the systems aren’t talking to each other … we have to do better.

“We are investing substantial amounts of resources in modernizing our digital technology here in Manitoba.”

In a statement, a Dynacare spokesperson said the company is happy to continue working with the province.

“Dynacare is pleased to have reached a new long-term agreement with the Manitoba government, which will allow us to make strategic investments in our facilities, equipment, technology and people in support of Manitoba’s healthcare system,” the statement said.

Dr. Alex Singer, director of research and quality improvement in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Manitoba, told The News that any move that gives patients more information about their health is a positive one.

“I think it’s definitely a positive development that patients will have access to their own records and their own laboratory results,” Singer said.

“There’s a utility there, and these things need to be done in collaboration with primary care providers or specialty providers, so there’s a balance.

“Not all information is positive, but having access to it will … certainly reduce anxiety when waiting for test results, and I think in some ways will increase safety. If there’s two or three people checking, that’s always better than one or two. If patients are directly part of that care team, they’re more engaged, they’re more capable.”