Manitoba announces plan for more orthopedic surgeries to clear backlog

The Manitoba government has released its latest plan to address a growing surgery backlog due to demands on the health-care system from the COVID-19 pandemic.

A group assigned to tackle the backlog says the government will support an expansion of the orthopedic surgery program at Concordia Hospital, including the addition of another operating room and orthopedic surgeon.

Health Minister Audrey Gordon says she expects the new additions will be in place by the end of the year and will allow up to 1,000 more surgeries per year.

0:43 Surgery and diagnostic test backlog continues to grow

The province is also providing $400,000 to the Spine Assessment Clinic so more Manitobans can seek treatment for back pain.

A previously announced pilot project to send patients to Sanford Health in North Dakota is now underway, with nine Manitobans receiving spinal surgery there.

The advocacy organization Doctors Manitoba estimated last week that the diagnostic and surgical backlog had reached nearly 168,000 cases, up by 6,300 cases from the previous month.