Surgeries for Islanders will be more available once Island Health gets the leases and assets of two private surgical centres.
Island Health says View Royal Surgical Centre in Victoria and Seafield Surgical Centre in Nanaimo will be added to the public health system. They say the additions will mean another 2,300 surgeries and 2,300 endoscopies every year.
The facilities perform certain low-complexity surgeries like plastic, general orthopedics, urology, vascular, pediatric dental, endoscopy and cataract surgery, according to Island Health.
They say once the facilities are bought, for $11.5 million, they will expand surgical needs. The transition is supposed to start in the next few months.
Surgical Centres Inc. will be finalizing the agreement with Island Health.
Health minister Adrian Dix says the addition will help get surgeries on track coming out of the pandemic.
“Adding the View Royal Surgical Centre in Victoria and Seafield Surgical Centre in Nanaimo into the public health-care system means that we will be able to increase capacity and reduce wait times for people who need surgery,” said Dix.
“Our government is committed to delivering surgical care for British Columbians when they need it, including recovering from the surgical impacts of the pandemic, and bringing these centres on as Island Health facilities will help all of us achieve this goal.”
The two facilities carry out 2,700 procedures in Nanaimo and 2,500 day care surgeries and 4,000 outpatient surgeries in Victoria every year.
Story by: Justin Waddell
