Provincial Money Targets Surgical Wait Times
Prince George, B.C. – Victoria has announced an additional $10 million in funding to reduce surgical wait times in B.C.
The so-called surgical services strategy is focused on patients who have been waiting the longest, in some cases more than 40 weeks.
“Health authorities will begin increasing surgeries over the summer, and complete up to 1,000 extra surgeries over the summer, and complete up to 1,000 extra surgeries throughout the province from June to August 2015,” reads a government news release. “This will include surgeries for orthopaedics, hernias, ear, nose and throat, cataracts and plastics.”
Michael McMillan, Chief Operating Officer for the Northern Interior Health Service Delivery Area for Northern Health, welcomes the news.
“The announcement about surgical funding I think is a good announcement. It will allow us some additional resources to tackle some of the long wait lists we have for surgery in the North.”
He notes orthopaedic and cataract surgeries “are the two biggest groups in terms of number of patients waiting longer than we’d like them to wait.”
McMillan adds wait times “depends a little bit on surgeons,” noting some will have longer wait times than the others.
Health Minister Terry Lake notes wait times vary province-wide.
“It depends on the surgery, of course, and the wait times vary in different communities, and so what we want to focus on are where are people waiting the longest, and let’s put our energy there.”
Comments
This has got to be a huge relief to a lot of people.
They keep promising this and nothing happens, just like their promise of every BC resident having a doctor.. Lies and more lies.
If northern health is involved all that means is they will have another office full of over paid people doing nothing.
I do keep saying that it’s time for a complete review and rationalization of Government at all levels, Federally, Provincially and Municipally, from the very top to the very bottom and the services that they provide, don’t I?
It actually has more to do with anesthetists and inept OR Management. but Mr. Macmillan will never say that.
I often wonder just how much of a clue Mr Lake really has, or is he just really good, like it seems most of the Liberals do, of reading script.
Knee surgery in a private clinic 2 day wait instead of 2 year wait. 3 thousand lighter but friend pain free.
Hey fric, is that the guy who said no patients were ever kept in the halls of the hospital, bet he’ll never say that again…..
BC, on average, has the second longest wait time in Canada for hip replacement surgery, only Nova Scotia’s average wait time is longer.
BC, on average, has the 3rd longest wait time in Canada for knee replacement surgery, and also ranks as the 3rd longest wait time in Canada for cataract surgery.
http: //waittimes.cihi.ca/
Every year there is a blue haired tsunami coming across the Rockies to retire in BC. Unless these people spent 5 or 10 years working in the province they should return to where they did spend their working life to get non emergency procedures like hip and knee replacements.
Sparrow. Lots of people go to Alberta, or other Provinces to get hip and knee replacements. Nothing new with that.
If we think for a minute we will be able to see quite clearly that if the addition of $10 Million dollars will get over 1000 additional surgeries done, then the problem is, and always has been funding from the Provincial Government. Increases in funding equals more surgeries.
Case closed.
Seems like everybody who has been on high protein or low carb diets need knee surgeries.
“Gerd Trubenbach, 71, believes he would be dead if his Korean wife hadn’t taken him to South Korea for life-saving surgery, after B.C. doctors discharged him from the Abbotsford Hospital with a huge malignant tumour growing in his neck last August.”
Cancer patient, 71, says Canada’s health-care system failed him, while Korea’s saved him
Gerd Trubenbach says flying to Korea for cancer surgery was his only hope
(Remove the space between http and : and put into your computer’s address bar.)
http ://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/gerd-trubenbach-says-flying-to-korea-for-cancer-surgery-was-his-only-hope-1.3079619
Thank you for posting your comment and link charles, It is a disturbing story, and a harsh condemnation, of BC’s medical system.
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