REGINA – The Saskatchewan government says more patients are waiting less to have surgery in the province.
The Saskatchewan Surgical Initiative (SSI) says as of Aug. 31, 80 per cent of people waiting for surgery had it performed within three months.
“That is 9,081 fewer patients waiting longer than three months for surgery,” said Health Minister Dustin Duncan when comparing the wait time numbers to March 2010.
“This initiative is making meaningful improvements for surgical patients.”
SSI also said nine per cent of patients province-wide had to wait more than six months for their surgery.
In Saskatoon however, more patients in August were waiting longer than three months for their surgery than in the previous month.
The health region said demand grew faster this year than previously estimated, with 2,082 people, or 17 per cent, having to wait more than three months for their surgery.
The region is working with surgeons and the Ministry of Health to find ways to meet the demand.
There has also been improvement in Regina, where there has been 11 straight months of decrease in the three-month wait time numbers.
However, only 70 per cent of surgeries in Regina were being performed within three months and 18 per cent of patients were waiting more than six months.
The goal of the SSI is to have no one wait longer than three months for surgery by March 2014.
No health region in Saskatchewan was meeting the three-month target between June 1 and Aug. 31 and only two regions – Cypress and Prairie North – were completing all surgeries within six months.
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