B.C.’s COVID-19 surgery backlog to be cleared: ministry

Every B.C. resident who had a surgery postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic will have their procedure completed by the end of this month, the province says.

The approximately 24,500 operations that were delayed have either been completed or will be before Oct. 1, the health ministry reported in an update Tuesday.

Between April 1 and Aug. 17 this year, the province says nearly 135,000 surgeries were conducted.

“It’s a stunning accomplishment, and one that speaks, I believe, to the distinct strength of people in B.C. While we’re not unique in facing challenges to health care — the health human resource staffing issue is nationwide, as are the impacts of environmental events such as wildfires, floods, mudslides, and extreme heat — we are in so many ways exceptional in how we respond to them.

“We keep going. We achieve. We lead. In the following pages, we’ll see data and external assessments that show how significant this strength is in delivering on our Surgical Renewal Commitment,” Health Minister Adrian Dix said in the update.

This is an increase of more than 7,000 surgeries from the same time period in 2019.

While clearing the backlog, the province has also been investing in better resourcing hospitals and medical staff around the province.

It says that from April 2020, to June 22, 2023, it has: “Added net new health-care staff to surgical services across B.C., including: 219 surgeons, 137 anesthesiologists, 385 perioperative nurses, 7 General Physician/Family Physician anesthetists, and 120 medical device reprocessing technicians.”