$30-M surgical centre tabbed for Steinbach

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This article was published 28/04/2023 (912 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Three new operating rooms are expected to be up and running in Steinbach in 2025, as part of an expansion to the Bethesda Regional Health Centre.

On Friday, Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen was in Steinbach to announce the $30-million surgical centre, with three ORs, a new lab space, and 12 patient spots for pre- and post-operative care.

The surgical expansion follows a 2021 announcement of a new renal program, 15 new acute-care beds, and eight new surgical beds for the Steinbach hospital, which will serve as the hub for patients in southeastern Manitoba.

The project is being supported with $8 million being raised by the Bethesda Foundation, its largest donation. The total capital investment for the project is now at $64 million.

Construction began in August 2022 on $32-million expansion for the six-bed dialysis centre, which is expected to be operational starting this fall, the provincial government stated.

The dialysis treatment centre will mean dialysis patients from Steinbach and southern Manitoba won’t have to travel to Winnipeg for those services, and the expansion is meant to improve services for cancer patients in the region.

Goertzen said the new operating rooms are “long-awaited,” noting ORs at the hospital sometimes had to be closed due to high humidity in the summers, necessitating a new HVAC system.

The Tory MLA for Steinbach made the announcement on behalf of Health Minister Audrey Gordon.

Dr. Cristo Minnaar, chief of staff, Bethesda Regional Health Centre, said he welcomed the addition of three new sleep rooms for on-call physicians at the hospital to help support a sustainable work environment.

The expansion of the surgical program will “bring us one step closer to meeting the needs of this growing community that we serve.”

Steinbach Mayor Earl Funk said the upgrades are “enormous” for the fast-growing community.

He thanked the province for recognizing and investing in the hospital “and making steps to make sure that it will be able to be a regional facility, to make sure that it can take care of the residents in our area and in the southeast area for many, many years to come.”

The mayor added his hopes the expansion will help with doctor retention in the area.

Provencher MP Ted Falk said the expansion will be cost-effective and will cut travel times for patients.

The hospital currently has two ORs, original to the facility when it was built in the 1960s.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca