One of the key priorities laid out in my ministerial mandate letter upon taking office, was the creation of a Wait Times Reduction Task Force. I am pleased to now announce that two committees have been established and Manitoba now has a Wait Time Reduction Task Force that will examine and make recommendations regarding waits for emergency care and priority procedures, such as surgeries and diagnostic tests. By dividing the two key areas, we’re better able to have the right subject matter experts focus on their skill sets and give us the most effective advice. We remain committed to this work and finding the best ways to improve our system in the long term.
The committee focused on emergency department wait times will be led by Dr. Alecs Chochinov, head of emergency medicine at the University of Manitoba’s Rady faculty, and Dr. John Ross, a Halifax emergency physician and emergency care advisor. The priority procedures wait time committee will be led by Dr. Jack McPherson, medical director of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s surgery program, and Dr. Michael Rachlis, a physician and private health policy consultant, and will focus on waits for cataract surgery, hip and knee replacement surgeries, and MRI scans and consider other procedures in surgery, ophthalmology or diagnostic imaging. Committee members will include urban and rural physicians and nurses, as well as other health professionals. The committees will consult widely with health-care professionals and the public, with committee reports to government expected back by June 30, 2017.
People across the province are affected by wait times for care and we want to make sure the public is also a part of this process to make sure we’re capturing ideas from as many different perspectives as possible. We know there is much work to be done to address wait times in emergency departments, particularly in Winnipeg, as well as wait times for surgeries and diagnostic procedures and these individuals bring a wealth of front-line expertise to help us look at different ways of working to make real changes across the system. Pragmatic choices must be made to ensure that we continue to be good stewards of the province’s finances.
Two members of the public will also be part of each committee and our government is seeking applications from those interested in working on the review and the development of recommendations for system change. A Wait Time Reduction Task Force Steering Committee will provide oversight to both the emergency department and priority procedures subcommittee. The steering committee chair will be named at a later date and those interested in serving as part of this process can apply online before January. 17, 2017.
