By Canadian Press

B.C. says clearing surgery backlog will take at least 17 months

May 7, 2020 | 10:39 AM

VICTORIA — The B.C. government is announcing what it describes as an “ambitious plan” to rescheduled thousands of cancelled surgeries and increase capacity in the health-care system.

The government estimates it will take 17 to 24 months to clear a backlog of 30,000 patients whose surgeries have been cancelled or weren’t scheduled because COVID-19 health restrictions.

It says those patients joined or remained on an existing backlog, bringing the total waiting list to 93,000.

The first year of the plan will cost $250 million, and includes hiring additional staff, expanding hours, opening new and unused spaces, and turning to private clinics.

Under the plan, the government says it will begin calling each patient to confirm that they want to proceed with surgery while COVID-19 is a concern.

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Beginning May 18, surgical services will resume and increase capacity over four weeks to near-normal levels.

By mid-June, all existing operating rooms will be running at full capacity. Over the next four months, the government plans to extend daily hours of operation, add weekend surgeries and open new operating rooms where available.

Health officials warn that the projected timelines are vulnerable to new waves of COVID-19 and other factors.

However, they say the measures taken to clear the short-term backlog will have the added benefit of increasing capacity in the longer term.

Urgent surgeries, the majority of which were cancer-related, have continued throughout the pandemic.

— By Amy Smart in Vancouver.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2020.

The Canadian Press