Non-urgent surgeries being postponed in Winnipeg due to blizzard

People who were scheduled to have elective and non-urgent surgeries over the next two days in Winnipeg will have to wait.

Shared Health announced Wednesday afternoon that the non-urgent surgeries on Wednesday and Thursday are being postponed at all Winnipeg sites because of the ongoing blizzard hitting the city and province.

"The postponements are part of efforts to support staffing levels for urgent and emergent patient care needs and reduce the amount of unnecessary patient travel on Manitoba roads during the storm," Shared Health said on its website.

Shared Health also noted that ambulatory care appointments at Health Sciences Centre will also be rescheduled.

People who had in-person appointments scheduled may also see them switching to virtual.

"The decision to postpone non-urgent surgeries and appointments scheduled to occur during the peak of this severe weather event is part of a broader health system response to maintaining essential health services throughout the storm, when staffing levels may be challenged by difficult road conditions."

People are being "strongly discouraged" from planning to visit patients in hospital during the storm. However, essential care partners are still welcome though Shared Health is reminding people to check road conditions and drive carefully.

"We strongly encourage Manitobans to be safe over the next few days. Weather conditions are making roads difficult to drive, resulting in extended response times for individuals calling emergency medical services for help. Stay home. Stay off the road. And don't over-exert yourself while shovelling."