Profile

As a family physician in northeast Winnipeg since 1983, Dr. Darcy Johnson has enjoyed a diverse career. Over that time, he has been recognized for his work with the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC)'s award of excellence and a CFPC Reg L. Perkin award in 2009 as one of Canada’s family doctors of the year.

Dr. Johnson finds the range of work that he’s done in family medicine as rewarding as the relationships that he’s forged. Over the years he has been president of the Manitoba College of Family Physicians and of Doctors Manitoba, a board member of the CFPC and of the Canadian Medical Association, chair of Concordia Hospital’s Department of Family Medicine, the Manitoba councillor for the Canadian Medical Protective Association since 2015 and a member of the Manitoba Medical Review Committee — as well as attending physician at Stony Mountain Penitentiary.

“I always embraced opportunities, finding that balance between conducting and going beyond regular practice,” he says. “It was my way of volunteering, allowing me to give back. These experiences gave me a broader view of medicine in Manitoba, and in Canada.”

Throughout his career, Dr. Johnson has advocated for better working conditions for his fellow doctors. At Doctors Manitoba he pushed for enhanced remuneration beyond the typical fee-for-service agreements, as well as for reimbursement for those attending medical school.

He’s quite proud of his work on health policy as well: “I helped to lobby for legislation to ban smoking in cars with kids, and that felt good.”

A few years ago, the pandemic interrupted Dr. Johnson’s retirement plans. Instead of stepping back, he prioritized helping other practices, providing care in two rural clinics, an air force base, the penitentiary and Concordia Hospital.

“It’s hard now because I see doctors struggling as there is so much pressure to provide full service,” he says. “Even some walk-in clinics don’t have regular doctors. It’s hard for me to leave when there is such a need.” He sees the younger generation of doctors struggling particularly hard, working through long hours, and attempting to practise 21st century medicine with technologies that are “a generation out of date.”

Dr. Johnson knows that COVID-19 has intensified the gaps in a system that already had issues, providing continuity of care to an aging population while struggling with deep waitlists. He sees physicians now struggling to deal with the medical needs of the population and their own wellness. While he envisions a challenging path ahead, he remains a strong advocate for working towards a more sustainable future for medicine in Canada.

“The biggest issue moving forward is system sustainability,” he says. “And how we can address it without risk to physicians. There is no question that it can be tough for many Canadians to access quality, timely care.”

An MD Financial Management (MD) client since 1985, Dr. Johnson was a founding member of the MD Physician Council — which, for him, is another way to give back to the medical community. He says broader financial literacy throughout the profession is essential because financial issues can strike hard.

He is proud of his efforts in Manitoba to diversify beyond fee-for-service billing — there are now four benefit programs in place, including a retention package designed to level the playing field and get people on the road to retirement early.

With MD, he hopes to safeguard retirement for future generations of doctors, hopefully building toward incorporating retirement strategies from day one. “Things have evolved dramatically over the last 40 years,” he says. “We need improved protection strategies, investment strategies and insurance strategies that are tailored to individual needs.”