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
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
'It was violent': Police tear down U of A pro-Palestinian encampment Saturday morning
Multiple people at the protest camp torn down at the University of Alberta campus Saturday say police's actions against protesters were "violent" and "disproportionate."
An apartment block collapses in a Russian border city after heavy shelling, injuring over a dozen
An apartment block partially collapsed in the Russian border city of Belgorod on Sunday, leaving at least 19 injured. Officials blamed Ukrainian shelling and said there were also likely deaths.
Adopted daughter in the Netherlands reunited with sister in Montreal and mother in Colombia, 40 years later
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Michael Cohen: A challenging star witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial
He once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump. Now Michael Cohen is prosecutors' biggest piece of legal ammunition in the former president's hush money trial.
German men with the strongest fingers compete in Bavaria's 'Fingerhakeln' wrestling championship
Despite the threat of dislocated fingers and strained muscles, over 150 Bavarian men came together Sunday to compete in Germany’s unique national championship of “Fingerhakeln,” or finger wrestling.
As Israel pushes deeper into Rafah, Hamas regroups elsewhere in ungoverned Gaza
Israeli forces were battling Palestinian militants across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including in parts of the devastated north that the military said it had cleared months ago, where Hamas has exploited a security vacuum to regroup.