The COVID-19 pandemic pressured the Saskatchewan Well being Authority (SHA) to postpone hundreds of surgical procedures and the top of the group doesn’t know when the province will have the ability to resume these procedures.
Throughout a Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC) technical briefing on Tuesday, Scott Livingstone stated he wouldn’t even speculate when that might be.
“It’s not nearly what’s on the ready listing as we speak,” he stated.
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“It’s what’s coming to the ready listing. Is there a lot of those that haven’t been in a position to see their household physicians to be referred?”
Livingstone stated the SHA postponed roughly 26,000 surgical procedures between March 15, 2020 and Oct. 9, 2021. He additionally stated the well being authority has undertaken round 2,000 fewer procedures between Sept. 19 and Oct. 9 of this 12 months in contrast with the identical interval earlier than the pandemic.
And he stated the well being authority doesn’t but have a plan to renew the service ranges, although he advised reporters the SHA govt is engaged on one.
“One of many issues that we’re going to be placing forth is a technique that appears at how can we broaden our surgical capability?… Is it prolonged hours or is it engaged on weekends? Is it not going by means of summer time slowdown?” he stated.
He provided one estimate – that, primarily based on historic volumes, it could take a 12 months and a half to clear the backlog for orthopedic surgical procedure.
Jessica Bailey, who suffers from kidney failure, stated she gained’t final that lengthy.
“As a palliative affected person, a 12 months and a half just isn’t possible for me,” she stated.
Bailey has been ready for a transplant for years. She beforehand advised International Information the SHA scheduled one however then postponed it a few week later, when well being authority management introduced it was delaying all surgical procedures.
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Bailey stated she tried to keep up a correspondence however that she hasn’t heard from the province in weeks about whether or not she would get her surgical procedure.
She advised International Information she wonders why some individuals with COVID-19, who’re largely unvaccinated, are in a position to obtain care in one other province when she will’t.
“I need to know in the event that they’re going to deal with me the identical as they’ve these unvaccinated sufferers paying for them to go (out of) province to get medical care,” she stated.
She stated she doesn’t know what Livingstone’s announcement means for her.
“I’m on the finish stage, so I’m actually, actually beginning to really feel it, fatigue-wise and simply (my) high quality of life just isn’t superb. I want to simply relaxation,” she advised International Information.
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