Manitoba considering sending patients to Fargo, N.D., amid diagnostic and surgical backlog
Manitoba's health minister has released details on a plan that could see some patients sent to Fargo, North Dakota to help alleviate a surgical and diagnostic backlog in the province.
On Wednesday, Manitoba Health Minister Audrey Gordon along with several members of the Diagnostic and Surgical Recovery Task Force outlined four measures the province will take to address the backlog.
Gordon said the province is working on an agreement with Sanford Health in Fargo for specialty spine services as part of Manitoba's out-of-province medical referrals program. She said no surgeries are scheduled at this time, but said this will be an interim measure when the situation is safe and Sanford is in a position to deliver the services effectively and safely.
A spokesperson for Sanford Health told CTV News it is not preparing to accept any new patients from Manitoba in the immediate future. They said Sanford Health will only accept patients, "At a mutually agreed upon time as the pandemic and our capacity allows."
The Sanford Health spokesperson said the agreement is not signed at this point, but they expect it to be finalized in the near future.
The province said this option will be available to certain people by referral from their healthcare provider. It said this would typically be for people with conditions including spinal stenosis and chronic degenerative disc disease.
The province said the service will be offered later in the year as capacity allowed at Sanford Health Fargo.
CUTTING DOWN GYNECOLOGICAL PROCEDURES WAITLIST
Gordon said the province is also working on an agreement with Maples Surgical Centre, and several other local partners to improve women's health. Gordon said there are about 3,000 women are currently waiting for gynecological procedures.
Dr. Peter MacDonald, the chair of the task force's steering committee, said some of the women have been waiting since 2019, and about two-thirds of the cases are eligible for day surgery. He said the task force expects this agreement could accommodate up to 1,000 cases.
SHIFTING COLON CANCER SCREENING PROCESS
Gordon said the province is also shifting how it screens for colon cancer to a diagnostic process called fecal immunochemical testing (FIT). She said FIT screening does not require an endoscopy, and as a result, it will allow for faster screening and will free up more operating room space for other procedures.
"This is a minimally invasive, highly accurate test – much more accurate and specific than the occult fecal blood test," MacDonald said. "This will lessen the backlog for endoscopies, specifically colonoscopies, by up to 10 to 15 per cent."
He said other initiatives are being explored in the endoscopy area and will be announced in the future.
HIRING MORE ANESTHESIA CLINICAL ASSISTANTS
Under the fourth measure, Gordon said the province plans to hire and train up to 13 new anesthesia clinical assistants over the next three years who will be placed in operating rooms across the province.
'Anesthesia services are fundamental to safe and effective surgical procedures," said MacDonald, adding additional anesthesia clinical assistants allow anesthesiologists to delegate and observe care simultaneously for more than one patient.
The province said these new assistants will double the number of anesthesia clinical assistants working in Manitoba.
DOCTORS MANITOBA 'HOPED TO SEE MORE' FROM TASK FORCE
Dr. Kristjan Thompson, the president of Doctors Manitoba, said he is encouraged to see the four measures the task force has highlighted, and said he is looking forward to reviewing specific details.
"Physicians had hoped to see more progress on the massive backlog this month, but we recognize the task force has very few options available right now because of our understaffed and overwhelmed hospitals," Thompson said in a written statement.
"Physicians' top concern is seeing their patients get the tests and treatment they need as quickly as possible, though we would like to see more capacity built here in Manitoba for local physicians to be able to meet the care needs of their patients close to home."
Bob Moroz, President of Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals (MAHCP), said he was encouraged to see the province address staffing, but is concerned diagnostic imaging technologists, rehab professionals, laboratory technologists and many more Allied Health professions are not being prioritized.
"We need a commitment to train and recruit these essential professionals now," he said in a written statement.
"The refusal to make investments in health care by and for Manitobans, and instead sending patients to another country for services that should be available here, is detrimental to Manitobans and the future of health care in this province."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
NEW For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
OPINION No reunion between Prince Harry and the King signifies a setback for royal unity
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
Israel says it reopened a key Gaza crossing after a rocket attack but the UN says no aid has entered
The Israeli military said Wednesday that it has reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza, a key terminal for the entry of humanitarian aid that was closed over the weekend after a Hamas rocket attack killed four Israeli soldiers nearby.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.