Everything we know about Ontario’s plan to reduce surgery backlog

here's what you need to know about Ontario Premier Doug Ford's three-step plan to reduce surgery wait times.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford released a new three-step plan to reduce surgery wait times on Monday.

The plan invests in community surgical and diagnostic centres, giving them the ability to conduct more procedures.

Here’s everything we know and don’t know:

Why is this plan necessary?

Officials say there are about 206,000 people waiting for surgical procedures in Ontario. The government says this plan will free up doctors and physicians at hospitals to deal with more complicated, high-risk surgeries, as well as increase capacity.

What is a community surgical centre?

The government is using the term “community surgical and diagnostic centre” as a broad descriptor for all for-profit and not-for-profit clinics operated outside of a physical hospital.