Winnipegger considers private hip surgery due to operating room delays in Manitoba
A Winnipeg man living in pain is considering getting his hip replacement done privately after learning of operating room delays in Manitoba.
“I have no quality of life right now. I’m in pain. I can’t even walk to the end of my driveway without the use of a cane or crutches. I don’t sleep at night,” said Robert Massey.
Massey learned he would need his left hip replaced in September 2020. He decided to book the surgery in Southern Health because the wait times were shorter. Massey said in Winnipeg it would take five to seven months just to meet the surgeon, and another 12-17 months to get the surgery.
In the Southern Health region, there was a wait of one to two months to meet the surgeon and another two to five months to get the surgery.
“I said let’s give it a try,” Massey told CTV News Tuesday.
In June, Massey said he met with his surgeon who works at Boundary Trails Health Centre and consented to the surgery at that time. He was told he would be contacted in a few months with a surgery date, but he has not heard anything.
Massey has since been emailing with staff at Boundary Trails and was recently told there have been delays in booking procedures.
“That’s when she informed me that there were OR closures, surgeries have been cancelled, and it’s most likely in the New Year (for a surgery date).”
Massey now estimates he is looking at February or March for a surgery date, while his pain is getting worse the longer he waits.
“If I have to go through five more months of this, I understand COVID is affecting the healthcare system, staff are choosing not to go to work because they don’t want to get vaccinated,” he said.
“I think they forget about the faces of the people that they are supposed to be serving. We’re the silent victims of this COVID.”
In a written statement, Southern Health-Santé Sud acknowledged the strain that COVID-19 has had on patients who have contracted the virus, their families, and those who have had surgeries and procedures postponed.
“We have made the decision at Boundary Trails Health Centre to implement a surgical slowdown by decreasing one slate per day, beginning October 18, to allow for redeployment of staff to areas of greater need,” reads the statement.
October 18 is the day the vaccine mandate took effect in Manitoba for front-facing public employees including health-care workers.
“The one slate per day surgical slowdown is split between specialties and based on the number of urgent/semi-urgent cases they have, as well as wait times. Ramping down surgery and redeploying staff will ensure we are prepared to respond to the potential for increased demand on bed occupancy, as required,” the statement went on to say.
Southern Health-Santé Sud said it continues to monitor the situation closely and plans are in place at Boundary Trails Health Centre to ensure it can deliver high-quality health services to the community during the fourth wave.
“We continue to encourage all Manitobans who have not been vaccinated against COVID to do so as quickly as possible,” the statement reads. “Vaccines are safe, they work and they do more than just protect you and others from the virus. They also help to protect the capacity of our health system and health-care providers to care for all Manitobans, not just those with COVID.”
Massey is now looking to go to Alberta to get the hip replacement done privately. He said it will cost about $30,000 to get the procedure done there.
“When you have no quality of life, (when) your mental health is suffering, you can’t put a price on that. If that’s what it means to spend that kind of money to get it done, so be it,” he said.
“It’s been 13 months, but the pain has been so bad in the past 3-4 months, I haven’t been sleeping and I’ve been off work.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.