Nova Scotia surgical wait list currently at 22,600 patients, committee told

Health authority CEO Karen Oldfield told a legislature committee today that although progress is being made on clearing the backlog, it will take time

CITYnews halifax\ Canadian Press

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HALIFAX — Nova Scotia health officials say there are 22,600 people waiting for various surgeries in the province, down from 26,000 in May.

Health authority CEO Karen Oldfield told a legislature committee today that although progress is being made on clearing the backlog, it will take time.

Oldfield says the immediate goal is to get back to 2019 levels before the COVID-19 pandemic, with a longer term goal of achieving national benchmarks for such things as orthopedic surgeries by mid-2025.

She said that to hit the benchmarks, the health system will have to perform an additional 2,500 surgeries a year.

Oldfield says part of the problem is a lack of information on how many people are waiting for surgical consults and referrals.

She says the health authority is on track to implement a new email-based referral system by the end of March that will help it better manage its surgical wait list.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2022.

The Canadian Press