'All hands on deck': Task force to release new tool measuring Manitoba's surgical, diagnostic backlog
A provincial task force is teaming up with Doctors Manitoba to release a new tool that will help Manitobans monitor the pandemic backlog of surgeries and diagnostic tests.
On Wednesday, Dr. Peter MacDonald, chair of Manitoba's Diagnostic and Surgical Recovery Task Force steering committee, said the task force has been working with Doctors Manitoba to develop a new online dashboard that will report surgical and diagnostic wait times.
"This will give Manitobans a broad view of the work that we are doing, where we have made progress and where we still have improvements to make," MacDonald said.
Dr. Kristjan Thompson, past president and board chair of Doctors Manitoba, said for months the organization has been reporting estimated backlog numbers separate from the task force, but said they are now looking forward to joining forces.
"It is an all hands on deck approach. We are all working together to clear this massive backlog," Thompson said.
He said most recent estimates show the backlog is somewhere between 102,000 to 128,000 cases, including between 32,000 and 40,000 surgeries, 12,000 to 17,000 diagnostic imaging tests, and 58,000 to 72,000 other procedures.
"This is still a very significant number," he said, adding Doctors Manitoba has also made a concerning discovery in wait times.
"We found that for nearly all procedures, patients are waiting longer today than they did before the pandemic, so we need to do better."
He said things are moving in the right direction, but there is still lots of work that needs to be done to catch up.
"Once we catch up, we really need to review and evaluate the need for testing and surgeries within this province every year, to ensure that our health system is increasing capacity to meet this growing need," he said.
David Matear, the provincial executive director of the Diagnostic and Surgical Recovery Task Force, said the online dashboard has been in development since May and is expected to be released in July. He said the information in the dashboard will be updated monthly.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.