In an effort to alleviate the strain on the province's major hospitals, more surgeries will now be done in a number of locales throughout Saskatchewan, including Estevan.
The Sun Country Health Region announced Thursday it has received $643,000 in funding from the Ministry of Health to "expand surgical capacity in the region." That money will allow Sun Country to conduct an additional 125 surgeries between St. Joseph's Hospital and Weyburn General Hospital.
The funding is part of the additional monies allocated through the Saskatchewan Surgical Initiative which will enable health regions throughout the province to conduct 5,700 more surgeries in 2010-2011. The ultimate goal is to cut the wait list for surgeries in Saskatchewan to three months.
Local media had an opportunity to learn more about how the announcement will affect St. Joseph's during a tour at the hospital Thursday. It's expected an additional 65 surgeries in the gynecological area will be carried out in Estevan. Dr. Cornelius Spies, who is a Yorkton-based obstetrician and gynecologist, will handle the increased workload.
Tara Daoust, the nurse manager at St. Joseph's, said the staff is excited about the additional surgeries.
"If we can add surgeries, the operating room girls are ecstatic. They love their jobs and they are passionate about it and you can see it. When Dr. Spies comes, the chemistry is incredible, the girls really like him, he likes us and he says he likes coming," said Daoust who noted that patients are also happy about the chance to have their surgery locally.
"It's closer to home. They don't have to travel."
Estevan MLA Doreen Eagles was also along for Thursday's tour and called the additional surgeries at St. Joseph's "absolutely awesome."
"This is the result of the patient first review and this is what the government was hearing, that patients just didn't want to wait as long as they had to," said Eagles. "I think it is going to be very positive for the community and when people have to go to Regina, it's time consuming and its costly and inconvenient on top of it all for the families."
"It's patient first," added Daoust.
Sun Country interim CEO Marga Cugnet said the health region is also pleased to be part of the strategy to reduce wait times in Saskatchewan.
"We're all working toward the same goal in the provincial system. It is not just about doing more procedures but looking at other factors such as assessing the need for surgery, preventing the need for surgery and co-ordinating our efforts," said Cugnet who noted that although SCHR hospitals are not equipped to perform hip and knee surgeries, any help they can provide locally will open up more operating room time in Regina.
"SCHR is pleased to work with our own surgeons as well as those from other regions who travel here, and patients will appreciate that they can receive more surgical services closer to home," she says.
The Weyburn General Hospital portion of the surgeries will be ear, nose and throat procedures with Dr. J.R. Fritz of Regina signed on to perform them.
