At least three non-emergency cardiac surgeries have been cancelled across the province because of staffing challenges.
A spokesperson for Shared Health told Global News Saturday the move was made to ensure there were enough employees to cover intensive care beds over the weekend.
“This change was made to ensure appropriate ICU capacity across the system leading into the weekend as ongoing patient flow issues and staffing challenges in some areas have been exacerbated by patient demands,” the spokesperson said.
“Some cardiac ICU capacity has therefore been temporarily designated to provide care to non-cardiac patients in need of critical care services,” the spokesperson added.
Shared Health says emergency procedures will still happen.
Reviews are being done on a regular basis to see when elective heart surgeries can resume.
Officials are urging all Manitobans to get their COVID vaccine to help reduce any potential strain on the health-care system.
The cancellations come as the province works out a plan to address surgical and diagnostic backlogs.
Health Minister Audrey Gordon said an announcement on the province’s promised plans for the backlog will be made Wednesday, Dec. 8.