Plans to cut surgery wait times in central, southern Alberta unveiled

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. -

Wait times and access to surgeries have been hot-button issues since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the province on Wednesday announced it is planning on cutting into them with a multi-pronged approach.

The province said it will build additional operating rooms in multiple locations, Lethbridge included.

“We're expanding and building new hospital operating rooms across the province, including in Calgary, Edmonton, Edson, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and Rocky Mountain House.” Health Minister Jason Copping said.

Copping also said the province will turn to the private sector for support, and that a request for proposals from chartered health facilities has been put out in the south and central zones.

The plans aim to add an additional 1,250 surgeries yearly.

“Now, we're moving to expand access to surgeries in the central and south zones of the province," Copping said. "That includes Red Deer and other communities in the central zone, and Lethbridge and Medicine Hat in the South Zone.”

Health Minister Jason Copping said the province will turn to the private sector for support.

This should be welcome news for Albertans stuck on surgery wait lists, although some have already taken matters into their own hands.

When Daniel Bachand found out he needed hip surgery, the Pincher Creek resident wanted to know how long of a wait he was in for.

He discovered it would take up to six months just to see a specialist who would refer him to a surgeon.

So while he was vacationing in Mexico, Bachand decided to have the surgery done there.

He said the surgeon indicated he needed the procedure done right away.

“He rearranged some surgeries and got me in, in 10 days,” Bachand said.

There are currently more than 70,000 Albertans on a surgical wait list.

Since then, Bachand has had his other hip replaced, also in Mexico, and he said despite the costs, the surgeries have been worth it.

But he’s hopeful Wednesday’s announcement will help those trying to get surgeries done in Alberta.

“It's got to help. If that announcement had been done four, five months ago, I may have flown back to Canada. But in the system that was there at that time, it wasn't feasible for me,” he said.

There are currently more than 70,000 Albertans on a surgical wait list, and more than half will wait longer than the recommended clinical period.