Manitoba health: Doctors concerned about surgery backlog [Video]

The organization representing physicians in Manitoba said more work needs to be done to address the surgical backlog in the province.

Doctors Manitoba said the surgical backlog in Manitoba sits at 40,160, the second-highest post-pandemic surgical backlog in Canada, with only Newfoundland and Labrador having a higher backlog. The numbers come from the most recent report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).

“That’s still a significant number; it’s about 40 per cent of the total volume per year, or about five months of surgical volume,” said Dr. Randy Guzman, president of Doctors Manitoba.

The report from CIHI said surgical volumes for children are down 12 per cent below pre-pandemic levels, and surgeries for patients in rural communities or low-income patients are still low. Cataract surgery volumes are still down 10 per cent compared to pre-pandemic levels, the report said.

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