CEO says Health P.E.I. plans community surgical clinics to tackle long wait times [Video]

Health P.E.I. is working to reduce surgical wait times for Prince Edward Islanders by creating community-based surgical clinics to handle things like hip and knee replacements, says CEO Melanie Fraser.

The initiative was mentioned in the recent throne speech, where the Rob Lantz government announced it is exploring a community-based model to address the lack of available operating rooms for surgeons and expand access to services outside of hospitals.

“We’re going to work to put out an RFI [request for information] to have a vendor come and build the capacity for us in terms of building the footprint in the community, and then we’re in the process of working with our physicians to build the plan for how to operate it,” Fraser told CBC’s Island Morning.

“This will be our doctors and our nurses performing surgeries in a community-based clinic. I know people jump to a conclusion about it being a private …