November 27, 2024
Manitoba Government Adds 800 Hip and Knee Surgeries in Selkirk
– – –More Surgeries at Selkirk Regional Health Centre Will Mean Lower Wait Times: Asagwara
The Manitoba government is making sure more families can get the care they need and enjoy their lives to the fullest by adding 800 hip and knee surgeries at the Selkirk Regional Health Centre, Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced today.
“We want to see more Manitobans lead active lives with their families and see less Manitobans waiting in pain,” said Asagwara. “Adding more surgeries in the Interlake means more patients and families are getting the care they need. Cutting wait times for surgeries doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t have to fly across an ocean to get good care, we just need more staff in Manitoba. That’s what this announcement is all about. More surgeons, more nurses, more surgeries, and faster care for you.”
The Manitoba government is providing annual funding for staffing and operating space at the Selkirk Regional Health Centre that will add 800 more hip and knee surgeries. This is one step the Manitoba government is taking to lower surgical wait times throughout the province, the minister noted, adding that, already, more hip and knee surgeries were performed in the last year than ever before. A new surgical wait times database is also prioritizing those who have been waiting the longest for surgery, so those patients get the care they need, when they need it.
“Adding more capacity in Selkirk is going to significantly reduce wait times for hip and knee joint replacements for patients in our province,” said Dr. Ed Buchel, provincial surgery specialty lead, Shared Health. The implementation of a provincial patient surgical waitlist enables surgical leadership to make data driven decisions regarding care expansion, and the government is listening. Adding more operating room time for arthroplasty will deliver 800 more surgeries and move Manitoba towards meeting the population demand. This increased capacity is enhancing retention and recruitment of surgical specialists and goes a long way to change the surgical culture so we can tell surgeons that Manitoba is the place to be.”
In addition to funding more hip and knee surgeries, the Manitoba government has increased access to care in the Interlake-Eastern region by adding a 15-bed transitional care unit, 30 fully staffed medicine beds, and funding seven-days-a-week discharge at the Selkirk Regional Health Centre. The region will also have more access to urgent care in the coming years as planning for the Eriksdale emergency room moves to the consultation phase.
“I am so glad to hear that more of my neighbours will get the care they need right here in our community,” said Randy Pastetnik, St. Andrews resident. “When I had knee surgery two years ago, I had to drive to Winkler and book a hotel room, only to be told the surgery was cancelled while I was on the table. To know that should there be a next time, I could get care right here in my community, is a huge relief. This is great news for Selkirk and the Interlake area.”
The Manitoba government continues to build up the health-care system by hiring 873 net-new health-care workers, opening hundreds of staffed beds with more to come, and increasing care for local communities with new extended hours clinics and minor injury and illness clinics.
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