A new provincial spine program is being established to ensure Manitobans requiring acute spinal care are treated sooner, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced on Tuesday.
More than $12 million is being spent to create the program, which will reduce wait times for patient consultations with spinal surgeons, establish centralized wait lists and co-ordinate levels of care, Asagwara said, noting the existing Provincial Spine Assessment Clinic will be incorporated into the new program.
“Until now, folks living with spine pain or trauma had no other choice but to suffer for months — for years in some cases — while waiting to be seen, never mind waiting for their surgeries,” the minister said.
Brandon Regional Health Centre, Winnipeg’s Concordia Hospital and the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg will get new surgical equipment that is minimally invasive and shown to improve patient outcomes.
It is expected that operating slates for spinal procedures will increase by more than 50 per cent starting May 1, Asagwara said.
“Operating theatres are being built to deliver more spine care to the most sick and complex patients,” said Dr. Ed Buchel, provincial surgery specialty lead at Shared Health, the organization that oversees health-care delivery in Manitoba.
“State-of-the-art equipment is going in those operating rooms, so not only the volume but actually the skill and the outcomes of the surgery can be enhanced.”
ACCESS centres in Winnipeg and Brandon will provide additional imaging technology.
Three spinal surgeons have been recruited to Manitoba over the past 10 months, with two of them based in Winnipeg and one in Brandon, Asagwara said, adding they are trained on the new equipment.
“Multiple reviews of our spine surgery over the past several years have showed that we need more capacity and better care. This multi-layered plan … will accomplish this goal,” Buchel said. “The plan follows the care journey of the patient.”
Buchel couldn’t say how long the current wait lists are, saying it’s based on a priority system and it varies, with Priority 1 patients being seen within days to a few weeks, and Priority 4 patients in weeks to a few months.
He promised, though, to return with a “transparent, responsible wait list” as soon as possible.
“That is in the works and it is a priority, as it is to every single patient who’s waiting out there,” he said.
“They want to know what they’re waiting for, and for how long. I can assure you that we are working strongly with our government right now to make that a reality so you don’t have to ask that question anymore.”