Good news for residents of the Battlefords came recently in a report on the progress of the provincial government's Saskatchewan Surgical Initiatives.
The report studied all patients who received surgery between August 1, 2011 and January 31, 2012 were processed with surgery wait time guidelines. Across the province, 99 per cent of surgeries were performed within 18 months, 96 per cent were performed in 12 months, 87 per cent were performed within six months and 76 per cent were performed within three months.
In the Prairie North Health Region, which is the third-largest in the province, the numbers were even better. Ninety-four per cent of patients had surgery performed within three months, 80 per cent had surgery performed within six weeks, and 60 per cent had surgery performed within three weeks. The numbers are far better than for Saskatoon, Regina Qu'Appelle, Prince Albert Parkland, Cypress, Kelsey Trail and Sun Country Health Regions and roughly equal to the numbers for Five Hills and Sunrise Health Regions.
Heartland Health Region, which performed only 683 surgeries in the specified time, had by far the best record. There, 95 per cent of surgeries were performed within three weeks.
The report also gave wait times by health region and type of surgery. Dental surgery had the longest wait times across the province, with only 58 per cent receiving surgery within three months. Eye surgery and otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) were also slow, with only 67 and 61 per cent, respectively, receiving surgery within three months. Eight per cent of otolaryngology patients waited more than 18 months for surgery.
The most quickly performed surgeries were heart-related. Ninety-six per cent of patients received surgery within three weeks, and 99 per cent received surgery within six weeks.
Health Minister Don McMorris stated that he was proud of the province's progress.
"Since 2007, there has been a 90 per cent drop in the number of Saskatchewan patients waiting more than 18 months for surgery and a 79 per cent decrease in the number waiting more than 12 months. We're continuing to build on that great progress."
The Saskatchewan Surgical Initiative's target is to reduce all surgical wait times to less than six months by the end of 2012-2013. By 2014, the goal is to reduce wait times further to three months. So far, Prairie North, Cypress and Heartland have all come close to the first goal, and Heartland has all but reached the second. Only two per cent of wait times are longer than six weeks.
