ONTARIO-The Ontario government says it is adding approximately 60,000 publicly-funded gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy procedures at community surgical and diagnostic centres across the province each year.
“When it comes to wait times for surgeries and procedures, the status quo is not acceptable. That’s why our government is taking bold action to boost access to surgeries and diagnostic imaging so Ontarians can conveniently access the care they need sooner, closer to home,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “We continue to lead the country with the shortest surgical wait times of any province, and increasing access to GI endoscopy procedures will help improve rapid access to diagnostic care for early disease detection when and where people need it.”
A call for applications for new licences opens today, with new licences expected to be issued starting in Winter 2025. This province claims this expansion of services will help reduce wait times for GI endoscopy procedures across the province from the date the order/requisition was received to the date people receive their procedure.
A third call is to be launched in the fall to expand access to orthopedic surgeries.
As the government significantly expands the number of surgeries and procedures being done through community surgical and diagnostic centres, it says it is ensuring these centres are integrated and linked with the broader public health system. This includes requiring new facilities to provide detailed staffing plans that protect the stability of staffing resources at public hospitals, report into the province’s wait times information system and participate in regional central intakes, where available, to ensure people get the care they need as quickly as possible. All community surgical and diagnostic centres are under the oversight of Accreditation Canada’s new quality assurance program which provides the same strong requirements as public hospitals to improve quality standards at facilities and ensure consistent patient safety and quality care.
