Manitoba's diagnostic and surgical backlog has grown to more than 161,000 cases

Manitoba’s diagnostic and surgical backlog has grown to more than 161,000 cases, according to Doctors Manitoba.

In a Thursday news release, the organization said this is an increase of 7,700 cases compared to what it reported last month.

Doctors Manitoba said this shows how disruptive Omicron is on Manitoba’s hospitals.

“The massive growing backlog remains a top concern for physicians, and it's another reason why Manitobans should be cautious as restrictions are eased," said Dr. Kristjan Thompson, president of Doctors Manitoba, in the news release.

The backlogged cases include:

• 52,327 surgeries, which is an increase of 2,168 compared to last month;
• 42,524 diagnostic imaging procedures, which is a decrease of 35 cases compared to last month; and
• 66,786 other diagnostic procedures, including allergy tests, endoscopies, mammograms, sleep disorder studies, and lung function tests. This is an increase of 5,615 cases over last month.

Doctors Manitoba noted that it added lung function tests to its pandemic backlog estimate based on feedback from physicians and their patients. The estimate includes a variety of specialized tests that are used to diagnose, treat and monitor chronic lung conditions. Lung function tests are also used to assess fitness for surgery.

The organization’s analysis shows that as of January 2022, there is an estimated backlog of 8,848 lung function tests, which includes adult and pediatric patients. The volume of lung function tests completed during the pandemic has decreased by about 40 per cent.

The organization’s surgical and diagnostic backlog dashboard can be found online.

NDP Critic for Health Care Uzoma Asagwara said the backlog is a failure of the PCs, calling the situation, "inexcusable."

"They've done nothing to address this problem but make empty promises. Manitobans deserve a government that fixes problems and make health care their number one priority," Asagwara said in an emailed release.

A spokesperson for the province said a fifth request for supply arrangement totalling $13.7 million has already been spent and allocated with 8,300 procedures contracted.

"Our government committed to regular Diagnostic and Surgical Recovery Task Force updates, and the next update will be provided in the near future," they said in a statement to CTV News.

"The task force and its steering committee, guided by local experts with close connections to our health care leaders, was created to make the improvements to our healthcare system that Manitobans need."