N.S. public health doctors will do surgeries at private clinic
1-year demonstration project hopes to reduce wait times
Last Updated: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 | 12:24 PM AT
CBC News
The provincial Health Department in Nova Scotia has signed an agreement clearing the way for publicly-funded doctors to do minor surgeries at a private clinic, in a one-year-demonstration project.
Health Minister Chris d'Entrement announced Wednesday that doctors employed with Capital Health will perform more than 500 minor orthopedic surgeries at Scotia Surgery in Dartmouth over the next year, freeing up operating rooms at the region's hospitals for major surgeries.
The Health Department will spend about $1 million of its orthopedic budget on the demonstration project, covering the cost of procedures.
The deal will allow Capital Health surgeons to use Scotia Surgery's operating-room facilities to do publicly insured, minor orthopedic surgical procedures, d'Entremont said. That will mean more space at Capital Health's Victoria General and Dartmouth General hospitals for surgeons to tackle more complex orthopedic cases.
"The Scotia Surgery project presents a significant opportunity to begin addressing long patient waits for orthopedic surgery," d'Entremont said in a release.
"Ultimately, this could have a major impact on the quality of lives of patients and their families. Nova Scotians want timely access to quality health care, and this project is an innovative way to meet their needs."
The project will begin next month.
Waiting list includes 2,000
Right now, 2,000 people are waiting for surgery, while 7,000 are waiting for initial consultations with a specialist.
The private clinic is equipped and accredited to accommodate low risk, day-surgery procedures for Capital Health, including knee, ankle, foot and shoulder scopes, and hardware removal.
Dr. Jaap Bonjer, chief of surgery with Capital Health, said timely access to orthopedic surgery is the biggest challenge facing the health authority.
"Performing orthopedic day surgeries at Scotia Surgery will free up capacity for orthopedic surgeries which require admission to the hospital, such as hip and knee replacements," Bonjer said in a release.
"Nova Scotia has a strong public health-care system and we are committed to maintaining and improving it. At the same time, it sometimes makes sense to augment the system to help patients get treatment faster," d'Entremont said.
The department and Capital Health will monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of using a private health facility to reduce wait times for patients for publicly delivered services.
