Tories demand explanation for cancelled surgeries at HSC; premier blames last government

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/11/2024 (289 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba’s Progressive Conservatives are demanding an explanation for the cancellation of surgeries Tuesday at the Health Sciences Centre.

Health critic Kathleen Cook asked the NDP government during question period about the sudden cancellations.

“Some of these patients have been waiting years to get their surgery today,” she said. “We heard this (also) happened last week and it is expected to continue for the remainder of this week,” said Cook.

She tabled a message in the legislature that she said was from Shared Health management to doctors Tuesday saying surgical slates were being cancelled owing to a lack of “base beds” for 20 patients.

Cook told reporters that she spoke to one of the doctors, who confirmed 20 surgeries were put off, but did not want to be identified over concerns there would repercussions from management.

“Why were these surgeries suddenly cancelled? How many patients were impacted and what is the NDP going to do about it?” Cook asked.

Premier Wab Kinew responded by blaming the PCs for damaging the health-care system with cuts made during their two terms in office.

“We’re going to repair the damage,” the premier said. “Manitobans deserve to have quick access to health care when you need it.”

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara is scheduled to hold a news conference at the Selkirk Regional Health Centre Wednesday regarding expanded surgical capacity.

The government announced in last week’s throne speech it would decrease surgical wait times by increasing the number of hip and knee surgeries available, with 800 to be performed at the Selkirk hospital.

Shared Health said in a statement late Tuesday that “it is not accurate to say 20 surgeries have been cancelled for bed capacity issues” but didn’t say how many were cancelled. Cancellations aren’t uncommon and can happen when patients are not deemed medically fit for surgery and because of inclement weather, the statement said.

Memos such as the one Cook tabled in the house aren’t unusual and let surgeons know about expected capacity levels in the near future, the statement said.

Doctors Manitoba said cancellations are more common during the respiratory-illness season, which puts pressure on hospital capacity.

“Frequently the reasons for cancellations include a lack of beds for patients to recover in after their surgery, and a lack of nursing or other staff to help in the operating and recovery rooms,” the physician advocacy organization said.

Cook said the doctor who notified her about 20 purported cancellations Tuesday performs elective surgeries that have a direct impact on patient quality of life and alleviate debilitating pain.

“Twenty surgery cancellations today leads to surgeries that need to be rescheduled tomorrow and into next week,” she said. “It’s a situation that’s a cumulative problem that just snowballs.”

The message to doctors from Shared Health said: “We are cancelling slates. We need to optimize surgical discharges and flow through our surgical beds.”

It advised them to look at their slates for the remainder of the week and “to switch as many inpatient for outpatient surgeries.”

“We’re continuing to see the impacts of the NDP decision to cancel the many projects the Diagnostic and Surgical Recovery Task Force had underway that would’ve expanded surgical capacity here in Manitoba,” Cook told reporters afterward.

The task force was established by the former PC government to address surgery and diagnostic procedure backlogs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The doctor who contacted Cook about cancelled HSC surgeries had a proposal being considered by the task force before the NDP dismantled it, she said.

“We’re still working with the leaders of the (task force),” Kinew told the house, “but we’re working with them within the public system.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca