Patients across Ontario who have had surgeries postponed now have some encouraging news.
In his daily press briefing Thursday afternoon at Queen's Park, Premier Doug Ford announced the government's desire to allow hospitals to prepare for the scheduling of elective and necessary surgeries. With Ontario making progress in "flattening the curve" in the COVID-19 pandemic, Ford said the time is getting closer for allowing hospitals to assess what they will need to resume surgeries.
"We're telling hospitals to get ready. We're telling patients to get ready," said Ford.
Hospitals will need to follow the framework published Thursday by the Ministry of Health. Checklists are included for hospitals to follow in the assessment process.
Next, hospitals will meet with regional health officials to work out a scheduling plan. The assessment will go on a weekly basis and any scheduling would still be subject to change should a spike in coronavirus cases occur.
Criteria for hospitals to follow include adequate supplies of personal protective equipment and medications, a ready supply of inpatient and intensive-care beds, and the ability to schedule post-operative acute care for patients. A stable or declining number of COVID-19 cases is also needed.
Minister of Health Christine Elliott said Thursday that the collaborative effort of public health officials and the public has made this framework possible.
"Delaying scheduled surgeries was one of the toughest decisions we had to make as we responded to the growing threat of COVID-19," said Elliott. "However, it was imperative to ensure our readiness to protect the health and well-being of Ontarians as we planned for a worst-case scenario. Due to the collective efforts of everyone to stop the spread of this virus, we are now in a position where we can begin to plan for ramping up surgeries."
The province had told hospitals to stop non-urgent and elective surgeries in March to ensure there were adequate beds to handle a potential surge in COVID-19 patients. Hospitals could still perform urgent procedures for patients in life-threatening situations.
