The province's electronic health-record system is now operating in some Manitoba health facilities.
Kildonan Medical Centre, located at Winnipeg's Seven Oaks General Hospital, was the first location to feature the system, named eChart, in the province. Five more sites quickly followed in Winnipeg, Brandon and Notre Dame de Lourdes, said the province.
Dr. Tunji Fatoye works at Kildonan Medical and said the new system allows for swifter access to information on patients' lab results, immunizations and medications.
"What used to take 45 minutes to an hour now takes less than three minutes - the time it takes to click on the computer and get it on the screen," said Fatoye.
The eChart system provides secure online access to patients' health history, said the province.
Paul Slywka is a Manitoban who previously suffered a massive heart attack.
"I died on the operating table and they brought me back," he said.
He hopes his doctors join the eChart program soon. He believes that even if it doesn't save his life in the future, it will save a lot of hassle.
"It would be a lot quicker, a lot safer and a lot faster," said Slywka.
The program is meant to prevent confusion over health records and also aims to save money, allowing for quicker treatment instead of tests.
"With eChart you can go back down, look at the historical data, actually see if you need to do the tests at all," said Dr. Fatoye.
By July of this year, the Selinger government hopes to the eChart program in about 30 doctors' offices and emergency departments. By 2012, it hopes to have all clinics on-board who want the eChart system.
"Some people will call that a bit ambitious. I don' think, based on the work I have seen from E-health, that it is too ambitious," said Theresa Oswald, the province's health minister.
It's estimated that 15 per cent of doctors' offices have switched to eChart so far. Oswald said she does not have plans to mandate others to switch to the system.
Health officials said the next goal is to get radiology reports and diagnostic imaging online as part of eChart, but a date has not yet been set for when that component will be rolled out.
The province first announced its intention for electronic health-records nearly five years ago.
The official opposition criticized the program.
"The concern we have is that it has simply been mis-managed, the government has simply been too tired to follow through on getting it done," said Progressive Conservative Leader Hugh McFadyen.
Health Minister Oswald, however, said the province didn't want to rush the program because it deals with highly sensitive information.
- with a report from CTV's Laura Lowe
