MORE SURGERIES IN PRINCE ALBERT

Another Sooner, Safer, Smarter Initiative

As part of the provincial government's commitment to reducing surgical wait times, Prince Albert Parkland Health Region (PAPHR) is opening a fourth operating room to increase its capacity to provide additional surgeries.

The province has provided $105,000 in new funding to the region to renovate and equip another operating room at Victoria Hospital, to enable it to perform up to 600 additional surgeries. Additional funding for operating costs will be provided for 2011-12.

"Surgical wait times have been a challenge in Saskatchewan for some time," Health Minister Don McMorris said. "We have started making real progress reducing those wait times, and this initiative will only further that progress. Prince Albert Parkland Health Region is doing its part to provide sooner, safer, smarter care to surgical patients."

"Providing more surgical services in Prince Albert will help better meet the surgical needs of our residents locally and provincially," Municipal Affairs Minister and Prince Albert Carlton MLA Darryl Hickie said. "This regional initiative will create a more patient-centred approach to health services and reduce wait times for surgery."

"The increased operating room availability will enable us to provide additional operating room time to all of our surgeons," Prince Albert Parkland Health Region Vice-President of Integrated Health Services Carol Gregoryk, said. "As well, we can continue to address the pressures of urgent and emergency surgery, which represent 28 per cent of our current volume, while meeting surgical targets for wait list management."

Gregoryk added that having more time to allocate to surgeons will also benefit the Region's ability to recruit and retain specialists who require operating room capacity for their practices.

The increase in regional surgical capacity will support the Saskatchewan Surgical Initiative, a multi-year, system-wide initiative to transform the surgical patient experience and reduce surgical wait times to no more than three months by 2014.

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For more information, contact:

Tyler McMurchy
Health
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4083
Email: tmcmurchy@health.gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-537-3594