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By David Opinko/LethbridgeNewsNOW

30,000+ surgeries backlogged due to pandemic

Province plans additional 55,000 surgeries this year

Mar 5, 2021 | 4:46 PM

More Albertans waiting to get surgeries might finally get the call.

Through the new 2021 budget, the Alberta Government says there will be 55,000 more scheduled surgeries in the coming fiscal year than normal.

The regular, pre-pandemic volume is 290,000.

The new budget includes $120 million for the Alberta Surgical Initiative while part of the $1.25 billion COVID Contingency fund will be used to address the province’s surgical backlog.

There is also money earmarked for capital projects over the next three years including Calgary’s Foothills Hospital and Rockyview General Hospital.

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“We promised Albertans shorter wait times for surgery and we’re going to deliver. The pandemic has forced us to adjust, but it hasn’t changed our commitment to giving Albertans the best access to scheduled surgery in Canada. AHS, Covenant Health, and chartered surgical facilities are already doing more surgeries in some areas,” says Health Minister Tyler Shandro.

“Going forward, we’re going to eliminate the backlog this year and press on toward the goal of the Alberta Surgical Initiative – to provide all scheduled surgeries within clinically acceptable times by 2023.”

Chartered surgical facilities began ramping up activities in December. Their goal is to provide about 90,000 surgeries each year by 2023, up from about 40,000 per year now.

Last year, about 77,000 Albertans were on waitlists for surgeries. According to the government, that has now been reduced by almost 3,000 to 74,200.

The current backlog of procedures due to COVID-19 is expected to reach 36,000 by the end of March, but will be eliminated by the end of 2021, the province is vowing.

The province says projects aimed at increasing the number of surgeries are underway or being planned in several communities including Rocky Mountain House.