Health minister announces investment to reduce wait times for orthopedic surgeries

HALIFAX – Health minister Leo Glavine announced Wednesday an investment of $1.9 million aimed at reducing wait times for orthopedic surgeries.

Glavine says the investment will help 160 Nova Scotians get orthopedic surgeries as it brings the total funding for reducing orthopedic wait times this year to $8.1 million for more than 800 additional procedures and system improvements.

He says investments like this one will help bring the province’s surgery wait times closer to the national benchmark.

“The goal over the next number of years is to get to the Canadian benchmark, and the Canadian benchmark for orthopedic is six months,” said Glavine.

Glavine added Wednesday the investment will be divided up into three areas.

“Foot and ankle surgeries have the longest wait lists, so some of the money will go there. Some money will go toward surgeries for hips and knees. Money will also go to the IWK for pediatric spinal procedures,” he said.

The Nova Scotia Health Coalition’s provincial coordinator Chris Parsons says they are optimistic about the investment, but adds they still have concerns.

“We are concerned that this appears to be a one time payment rather than a permanent increase in general funding. We’re surprised that this is being announced after the budget instead of just part of the health budget more generally. There does not appear to be a sense that there is going to be annual funding coming out of this and from our standpoint it’s a concern that this can be more political,” said Parsons.

Parsons says he’s hoping Glavine will guarantee that the money from this investment will not be given to private surgery clinics, adding it’s a short cut that won’t help build long-term infrastructure for the province’s health care system.

In addition to this investment, Glavine says the redevelopment of the QEII Health Sciences Centre includes changes in how and where surgeries are performed to improve efficiency and reduce wait times.

 

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