Windsor Regional Hospital is reassuring those who had surgeries and procedures booked before the pandemic forced their cancellation; they have not been forgotten.
Since May 28, when the Ministry of Health lifted its directive to cancel them, the hospital has been gradually rescheduling elective and non-urgent surgical and clinical procedures, programs and clinics.
However, it is taking some time.
Since then, capacity at the hospital has increased to 85 per cent. The ministry still wants them to reserve at least 10 per cent of their beds for any possible surge in COVID-19 cases. That means facilities like Windsor Regional need to monitor its surgery caseload closely, so it does not exceed resources and volume.
Simultaneously, surgeons' offices are getting more and more calls from patients anxious to have their procedures done.
"As we have stated previously, this will be a gradual and incremental restoration of more elective surgeries, which will take many weeks," said Chief of Staff Dr. Wassim Saad. "Especially when you consider the volume of procedures that needed to be rescheduled and the need for pre-operative care."
Patients will be called directly when their surgeries and appointments are rebooked. They are asked not to call the hospital or their surgeon's office. Surgeons will review their cases and prioritize those in the most urgent need.
On March 19, when the hospital cancelled non-urgent surgeries, Saad told BlackburnNews.com between 600 and 700 operations were booked weekly across 17 operating rooms.
