Surgical procedures returning to 'pre-pandemic' levels in Manitoba
The taskforce aimed at reducing the surgical backlog in Manitoba says surgical procedures are consistently being performed at levels before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Surgical procedures are consistently at 2019 baselines, which means a return to pre-pandemic levels,” said David Matear, executive director of the Diagnostic and Surgical Recovery Task Force, said in an update Thursday afternoon.
Matear said the volume of surgeries in Manitoba has been gradually growing in recently weeks, with the majority of surgical sites in Winnipeg between 90 and 100 per cent of operational capacity. He said most rural surgical sites have been at 100 per cent operational capacity for some time.
Matear said the province has partnered with multiple organizations to help increase the number of surgical procedures in Manitoba. He said the partnerships resulted in 11,000 procedures being completed, including endoscopies, cataract surgeries and pediatric surgeries.
However, the need for new procedures will only add to the existing backlog, Matear said.
“Until we get to that point where we have an increase capacity in the system, we're required based on the backlogs that existed prior to the pandemic,” he said. “Yes, there'll be slight increases within the backlog. But, because of the capacity of the health-care system, currently, the rate of increase of those backlogs will be minimized.”
Matear said negotiations are underway with a private partner to help address diagnostic procedures, and details will be announced in the coming weeks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.