Health Minister gives an update on better access to health care initiatives

    Wednesday, 12 July 2023 12:00

    By Tonya Organ

    Sixty-two patients were transported on eight flights via a same-day fly-in/fly-out service from the health authority’s Western and Labrador-Grenfell Zones for procedures in St. John’s.

    Government has provided an update on initiatives that increase access to health care, such as chartered flights for cardiac catheterization procedures, the travelling orthopaedic program, and same day hip and knee replacement surgeries. This also helps with managing waitlists. As of July 4th, 124 joint replacement surgeries (70 hip and 54 knee replacement surgeries) have been completed as outpatient procedures since December 2022, including 101 that have resulted in same-day discharges;  Sixty-two patients were transported on eight flights via a same-day fly-in/fly-out service from the health authority’s Western and Labrador-Grenfell Zones for procedures in St. John’s; and Sixty-seven surgeries were completed in St. Anthony by the travelling orthopaedic program from St. John’s. This initiative has the potential to book more than 120 patients per year from the provincial waitlist who would otherwise have to wait to get their surgeries in St. John’s.

     

     

     

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