B.C. announces $25M to reduce surgical wait lists

The B.C. government says it will provide $25 million to increase the number of surgeries performed each year and reduce a growing backlog.

The money will be used to expandoperating room hours and speedup accessfor patients who have been waiting more than 40 weeks for surgery.

Health Minister Terry Lake made the announcement on Thursday in Vancouver. Lake also said the government will provide four additional magnetic resonance imaging machines to health centres across B.C.

"Despite significantly increasing the number of surgeries and MRIs being done each year, we are struggling to keep pace with the growing demand," Lake said.

"This extra funding will provide health authorities with additional support as they complete their plans for these procedures in the upcoming year, and while we work together to implement strategies that improve access over the longer-term."

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Even though the total number of surgeries in B.C. has increased 40 per cent over the last 14 years, health authorities say waiting times are still too long. Right now, the median waiting time for elective surgery is seven weeks, up from 6.7 weeks last year.

As well, the number of people waiting for surgery has increased from 77,655 as of March 31, 2015 to 85,801 as of Dec.31, 2016, according to the ministry.

The waits for MRIs, a sophisticated diagnostic scan, are also long. Last year, asurvey of Canadian physiciansconducted by theFraser InstitutesaidMRI wait times in B.C. are more than double the national average.

The survey suggestedBritish Columbians wait 24 weeks when in need of an MRI, compared to the national average of11.1 weeks. The B.C. health ministry criticized those findings.

The average cost of a new MRI machine is roughly $5 million. Right now, there are25 MRIs in B.C. hospitals.

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Lake said the money to expand surgical operations will be distributed to health authorities across the province.

The four new MRIs will go to the JimPattisonOutpatient and Surgical Centre in Surrey, Ridge Meadows Hospital in Maple Ridge, Vernon Jubilee HospitalandNanaimoRegional Hospital.