Manitoba opens 5th QuickCare clinic in St. Vital neighbourhood

People in Winnipeg's St. Vital neighbourhood now have a QuickCare clinic in the community, ready to treat minor ailments.

The Manitoba government officially opened the clinic at 620 Dakota St. on Friday. It will be open to patients starting Monday.

The QuickCare clinic is staffed by registered nurses and nurse practitioners who can diagnose and treat minor, non-urgent health issues, according to the provincial government.

It will be open weekdays from noon to 7:30 p.m. and on weekends and holidays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

"This new QuickCare clinic will have weekend and evening hours and will offer families a convenient health-care option where they live when their regular health-care provider may not be available or when a visit to the emergency room may not be required," Health Minister Sharon Blady said in a news release.

Blady said the introduction of QuickCare clinics are part of the provincial government's plan to "ensure any Manitoban who wants one will have a family doctor by 2015."

The province says there have been more than 100,000 patient visits to its four QuickCare clinics across Manitoba since the first one opened on McGregor Street in Winnipeg in January 2012.

Another three clinics are scheduled to open by the end of this year, the province added.