Manitoba set to launch online dashboard tracking diagnostic, surgical backlog

© Provided by Winnipeg Sun Diagnostic and Surgical Recovery Task Force executive director Dr. David Matear speaks during an update at John Buhler Research Centre in Winnipeg on Wed., June 29, 2022.

Manitoba’s Diagnostic and Surgical Recovery Task Force says it will launch a dashboard that tracks wait times for certain procedures.

The task force’s executive director, Dr. David Matear, says they are hopeful the dashboard can be launched sometime in July. The dashboard is expected to be updated monthly.

Doctors Manitoba data released on Tuesday showed that an estimated 102,139 and 128,447 cases were in the diagnostic and surgical backlog.

Matear said that progress was being made, saying it’s an “all hands on deck” approach to begin clearing it.

Manitoba Liberal leader Dougald Lamont said in a statement that the announcement of an online dashboard is a step forward, but is something that should’ve been taken two years ago.

Doctors Manitoba announced on Tuesday that they would no longer provide monthly updates on the diagnostic and surgical backlog as the health system will take over those reigns. Past president of Doctors Manitoba Dr. Kristjan Thompson said this is something the organization has been calling for.

© KEVIN KING/ Dr. Kristjan Thompson, Doctors Manitoba board chair, speaks during a Diagnostic and Surgical Recovery Task Force update at John Buhler Research Centre in Winnipeg on Wed., June 29, 2022.

Matear said given the scope of the backlog in Manitoba that it would be impossible for the task force at this point to give an end date as to when it would be cleared.

“I think it is very, very difficult to put a date on it,” he said. “We’re looking at a specific set of in scope, surgical and diagnostic services. That scope for the task force we expect to change over time. These aren’t the only backlogs that exist. But these are the backlogs that we’re looking at addressing right now with short-, medium- and long-term plans.”

One of the recommendations put forth by Doctors Manitoba to the task force is to set an end date for the backlog. Thompson used the example of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy promising to put a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s, which happened in 1969.

“This is not a moonshot,” he said. “It’s complicated, but it’s not as complicated as putting someone on the moon.

“I really hope that that government really does consider our recommendation to set a date to show a commitment, a true commitment to getting this backlog dealt with and to give patients hope.”

Thompson said the biggest barrier in clearing the backlog is the lack of staffing in Manitoba’s health-care system.

“We know that that bottleneck really is the skilled nurses, technologists and of course, physicians, that we really need to ensure we build capacity in our system, especially when it comes to staffing,” he said.

Thompson credited the work of the task force, saying that their job is extremely difficult and said Doctors Manitoba will continue to work with them in the future.

Initiatives announced earlier by the task force included an agreement with Sanford Medical Centre in North Dakota to provide spinal surgeries to Manitoban patients. So far, 27 patients have received spinal surgeries with another eight booked, Matear said.

The task force will continue to look for out-of-province options for patients, but also look to expand capacity within Manitoba.

Doctors Manitoba says that there were 160,000 fewer surgeries and tests done as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

rstelter@postmedia.com

Twitter: @steltsy94