Elective procedures in Carman, Brandon postponed to make capacity for possible holiday COVID-19 surge
CBC
Provincial health officials are postponing elective and non-urgent medical procedures at health centres across southern Manitoba in order to free up staff for an anticipated holiday surge in COVID-19 cases.
Dr. Ed Buchel, provincial medical specialty lead for surgery with Shared Health, announced the rural phase of the province's surgical prioritization strategy in a news conference on Monday.
"With the holidays that are approaching and gatherings that are expected to happen, we expect COVID cases to rise substantially," Buchel said.
"We have to plan to maintain our COVID capacity in our rural areas, specifically at Boundary Trails and at Brandon."
Starting later this week and continuing through the remainder of December and January, all surgeries at the Carman Memorial Hospital will be postponed to allow Boundary Trails Health Centre in Winkler to increase its capacity for COVID-19 patients.
At the Brandon Regional Health Centre, all elective endoscopies will be postponed to allow staff to support the intensive care unit.
Shared Health announced Sunday it is postponing all non-urgent and elective surgeries at acute care surgical sites in Winnipeg — Health Sciences Centre, St. Boniface Hospital and Grace Hospital.
The postponed procedures are expected to affect between 10 and 15 patients per day in Winnipeg, and an estimated 10 to 20 patients per day outside the city, Buchel said.
Anyone whose procedures have been postponed will be informed, Buchel said.
The goal of prioritizing urgent, emergent and cancer surgeries in Winnipeg is to clear as many procedures as possible this week before staffing levels are reduced over the holidays, he said.
Some urgent surgeries will be transferred to Victoria Hospital, Concordia Hospital or the Pan Am Clinic.
Buchel spoke about the emotional toll health-care workers are suffering as they prepare to delay medical procedures for the fourth time since the start of the pandemic.
"It is emotionally a huge drain to walk to your clinic and to have patients say, 'Why are you not caring for me?'" he said.
WATCH | Surgical delays taking emotional toll, Manitoba doctor says:
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