The Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) has yet to publicly list positions for four anesthetists and four orthopedic surgeons that the province said would significantly cut wait times for hip and knee replacements in the province.
The new jobs were announced by Health Minister Randy Delorey on Oct. 13 as part of a $6.4-million plan to meet national wait time standards. But the new positions have yet to be filled or even listed as available on the NSHA’s hiring website.
NSHA officials were unable to provide a date for when the job postings would be made available but spokesperson Kristen Lipscombe said on Tuesday that “the recruitment process is well underway.”
READ MORE: Nova Scotia aims to cut wait times for knee, hip replacements to six months
One new orthopedic surgeon and one new anaesthetist are expected for both Valley Regional Hospital and Aberdeen Hospital. The remaining four physicians will be posted at hospitals in the Halifax Regional Municipality.
In an emailed statement, Lipscombe said on Monday the postings are “now being finalized.”
However, Global News was made the same assurances late last year and the postings have yet to materialize.
READ MORE: Nova Scotia’s family doctor shortage by the numbers
Lipscombe said in an emailed statement on Nov. 29 to Global News “we anticipate postings for the four orthopedic surgeons and four anesthesiologists will be posted within two weeks.”
She added that the mid-December job postings were “anticipated from the outset” and didn’t constitute a “delay.”
Lipscombe said that Delorey’s promise the increase in funding would allow an additional 500 people to get surgeries by the end of the fiscal year is not expected to be affected by the date of the postings.
The current fiscal year will end April 1, 2018.
As of Tuesday, that leaves the NSHA 82 days to complete the 500 additional surgeries.
WATCH: Nova Scotia aims to cut wait times for knee, hip replacements to six months
The NSHA says its officials have already been meeting with applicants interested in the positions.
“We received approval to proceed with this recruitment in late December,” wrote Lipscombe on Monday.
Emailed requests to clarify the deadline for the postings as well as the contradiction with earlier emails were not immediately returned.
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