View From the Legislature

Surgery wait times for procedures like hip and knee replacements were too high across Canada before the pandemic, and they only became longer after. It is a problem that every province is grabbling with as they try to reduce the wait time for a variety of different surgical procedures.

One of the initiatives that was started by the former PC government was to contract with out of province providers that had additional surgery capacity for those Manitobans who decided this was the right option for them. It was an approach quickly copied by other provinces.

That meant that Manitobans could, if approved by Manitoba Health, opt to get certain surgeries more quickly by going out of province. The costs, including travel, meals, accommodations and of course the surgery were covered by Manitoba Health. I know of many people locally who used this option and received, for example, knee replacements in Fargo or hip replacements in Fort Francis.

This program was always intended to be short-term. It was a way of giving Manitobans options and helping to shorten the wait times in our own province. Once those wait times for surgical procedures came down, the program itself would wind down.

Many Manitobans were surprised to learn that one of the first things that the new NDP government did when they took power was cut this program. This cut was part of a host of other cuts including planned personal care homes and schools. Almost immediately I heard from constituents who were upset this option was taken away as some are now facing many months living in pain with hip or knees that need replacing and not being able to take the out of province option.

What is surprising is that the NDP didn’t develop additional surgical capacity in Manitoba before cutting this option. As a result, all they have done is increase the wait time for Manitobans. While other provinces are aggressively looking to expand options for their residents, in Manitoba the NDP have taken the approach of reducing options even as wait times for certain needed surgeries grows.

At this point the new government hasn’t really explained why they cut the out of province surgical program. While they may simply not have liked it because it was another governments program or it utilized medical capacity in places like North Dakota, there needs to be a better explanation given. Last week a local resident who is now facing months in pain awaiting a surgery contacted me wondering why the program was cut when the wait is so long. It’s a question that I couldn’t answer because no real explanation has been given.

The challenges the healthcare system faces are not simply a Manitoba problem. Across Canada emergency rooms are under pressure during flu and respiratory virus season and there is a shortage of medical staff in the country and really around the world. It is a time when more surgical options, at least in the short term, need to be explored. The NDP cut to the out of province surgical program was premature and will leave Manitobans waiting in pain.