There may be a light at the end of the tunnel for hundreds of Saskatchewan patients waiting for surgery.
The province announced $10 million in funding on Wednesday aimed at lowering surgical wait times.
“I read the personal letters from people waiting for surgery and cardiac procedures, and I assure you that reducing the length of time people wait for their procedures is a priority for our government,” said Jim Reiter, Saskatchewan’s health minister.
“We are committed to improving wait times, and this investment is a positive step in that direction.”
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The province said close to 1,700 additional surgeries will be done by the end of March 2020.
These surgeries include cataracts, hip and knee replacements, gynecological surgeries, dental and ear-nose-throat procedures.
The province also said the number of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) cardiac procedures will grow by 60 per cent.
“As surgeons, we feel it is crucial to provide timely surgical care to the people of Saskatchewan,” said Dr. Ivar Mendez said, Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) provincial head of surgery and Fred H. Wigmore professor.
“It is our hope that these additional resources will reignite this pathway and that the average citizen of the province could expect timely access to surgery.”
SHA will be increasing surgical hours in hospitals along with increasing contracted volumes with third-party facilities, to help meet their March 2020 goal.
Most surgeries will be done in Regina and Saskatoon due to having some of the longest wait times, but they will also take place in other centres around the province.
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