Proton therapy funding in Manitoba

If you live in Manitoba, your public plan is Manitoba Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care. It may pay for proton therapy outside Canada. To qualify, the treatment must be medically necessary and not available in Manitoba or elsewhere in Canada. This page explains how that works. The plan decides your case, not this site.

What this page covers

Your plan and who applies for you.
What is covered, including some travel support.
The steps, and how to ask for a review if you are declined.

Your plan at a glance

Plan: Manitoba Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care, through the Manitoba Health Services Insurance Plan.
Who applies: an appropriate Manitoba specialist whose field relates to your condition. You cannot apply for yourself.
How filed: there is no numbered form. The specialist writes a letter to Manitoba Health with the details of your case.
Approval before travel: required, in writing. Do not arrange appointments, travel, or care until the referral request is approved, or you may be responsible for the costs.

How out-of-country funding works in Manitoba

Manitoba can fund treatment abroad, but a Manitoba specialist must make the case. The specialist has to show three things. The service is medically necessary. It is not available in Manitoba or elsewhere in Canada. And it is not experimental. There is no numbered form. Your specialist writes a letter to Manitoba Health with the details of your case. Manitoba Health then reviews it, and may seek a medical consultant’s opinion before deciding.

Manitoba covers more of the travel side than some provinces. If approved, it can pay:

Doctor bills, at Manitoba rates.
Up to 75% of insured hospital services.
Reasonable economy transportation.
A medical escort, if your specialist confirms one is necessary.

It does not pay for meals, accommodation, car rental, taxi, or parking. It does not pay for ambulance service, except emergency air ambulance. It also does not pay for cancellation insurance, GST on tickets, or experimental, emerging, or trial services. Some travel support may apply in certain cases. Confirm the detail for your case with the out-of-province coordinator.

Step by step

Speak with your specialist about whether proton therapy may suit your case.
Your specialist writes to Manitoba Health before you arrange any care or travel.
Wait for the written decision, which Manitoba Health sends to you and your specialist.
If approved, arrange treatment and any covered travel with your team.
If declined, note the appeal deadline below and act within it.

Important: who decides

Manitoba Health decides whether your treatment abroad is funded. Do not arrange appointments, travel, or care before you have written approval, or you may be responsible for the costs.

If you are declined

If you are declined, you can appeal to the Manitoba Health Appeal Board within 30 days of receiving notice of the decision. Approval on appeal is very rare, however. The effort is better spent on a complete, well-documented first application prepared with your physician.

Proton therapy referral in Manitoba

Manitoba does not publish a proton-specific rule. One example would be a required comparison of a proton plan against a standard radiation plan. Instead, the general test applies. A Manitoba specialist must show the service is medically necessary, not available in Manitoba or Canada, and not experimental. A medical-consultant opinion may also be sought. Manitoba’s program is one of the seven active provincial proton referral programs characterised in a published Canadian study. Whether a proton-specific review is used is not published. Verify this directly with the out-of-province case coordinator.

Frequently asked questions

Does Manitoba Health cover proton therapy?

It may. Canada has no operating proton therapy centre today. So a medically necessary case can meet the test that the treatment is not available here. An appropriate Manitoba specialist applies on your behalf, and Manitoba Health decides.

How long does a Manitoba Health decision take?

Manitoba Health does not publish a decision time for out-of-country requests. Your specialist can ask the Out-of-Province Case Coordinator for current timing when applying.

Sources for this page (5)

Manitoba out-of-province and out-of-country coverage, specialist referral, covered and excluded items, and prior approval: Manitoba Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care. gov.mb.ca (checked 2026-07-06)
Legal basis: The Health Services Insurance Act, CCSM c. H35. web2.gov.mb.ca (checked 2026-07-06)
Appeal to the Manitoba Health Appeal Board within 30 days: Manitoba Health Appeal Board. manitoba.ca ; gov.mb.ca (checked 2026-07-06)
Manitoba as one of the seven active provincial proton referral programs: Tsang et al., Proton Therapy in Canada, Red Journal, 2022, S0360-3016(22)03642-2. redjournal.org (checked 2026-07-06)
Note: no proton-specific comparative-benefit rule is published. Verify proton handling with the Out-of-Province Case Coordinator, 1-800-392-1207 ext. 7303 or OutofProvinceClaims@gov.mb.ca.

Every statement on this page is drawn from the sources listed below. Last updated: 15 July 2026.

This page is for general education only. It is not medical advice and it is not a decision about your care or your funding. Only your treating physician can advise you on treatment. Only your provincial or territorial health plan can decide whether it will fund treatment outside the country. protontherapy.ca is an information resource by Maple Med Global (MMG Medical Tourism Inc.), Toronto, Canada. We are not a hospital, a clinic, or a government body, and we do not provide medical care.