Task force touts 42% bite out of COVID backlog

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/05/2023 (328 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s been a 42 per cent overall reduction in Manitoba’s surgery and diagnostic test backlog, the province’s task force announced today.

In a progress update, leaders of the surgical and diagnostic recovery task force said more than 72,300 procedures have now been completed, less than 500 of them done out of province.

Task force officials David Matear, Dr. Ed Buchel and Dr. Peter MacDonald announced a nine per cent increase in the number of surgeries completed since their last update in April, representing 46 per cent reduction in the surgical backlog.

The task force will continue to pursue private-sector contracts and investments in the public health system, task force officials said. Buchel said “rhetoric” around public versus private is harmful, saying all of the task force’s secured agreements are publicly funded.

The task force is setting target wait times for procedures across the province and expects more information to come this summer.