Oakville, Milton, Georgetown hospitals receive funding to increase surgeries, procedures

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Published May 3, 2022 at 3:25 pm

The Ontario government is providing $2,077,160 to support four surgical innovation fund projects in Halton Healthcare. INSAUGA PHOTO

 

Hospitals in Oakville, Milton and Georgetown will be able to perform more surgeries and procedures after receiving a much-needed financial boost Tuesday from the province.

Halton Healthcare is receiving $2,077,160 to support four surgical innovation fund projects that will help local hospitals ramp up non-urgent and non-emergent surgeries after many were delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funding, which was announced by Halton Region MPPs Effie Triantafilopoulos, Stephen Crawford and Parm Gill, is part of the government’s expanded $86.2 million Surgical Innovation Fund that will support 187 projects across the province.

“The provincial government continues to focus on the health of Oakville residents,” said Oakville MPP Stephen Crawford. “The surgical innovation fund has been increased to a total of $86.2 million. Halton is receiving over $2 million to help perform surgeries.  This comprehensive funding supports the wellbeing of residents.”

Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH), Milton District Hospital (MDH) and Georgetown Hospital will receive $825,000 to fund training for preoperative (OR) nurses.

OTMH will also get $690,000 for the expansion of endoscopy capacity and along with MDH $382,160 for process improvement for MRI scans.

MDH will also receive another $180,000 towards Holmium laser for urinary tract stone surgery.

“This $2,077,160 in funding for Halton Healthcare will help provide more surgeries and procedures for patients in Halton Region,” said Oakville North-Burlington MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos. “I’m proud our government is committed to building a healthcare system that delivers high quality health care to meet patient needs.”

Over 200 proposals were submitted for review by hospitals across the province, and 187 projects were approved. These projects focus on training of nurses and allied health staff, purchasing and upgrading diagnostic imaging technology and operating room equipment, and completing small capital projects. Projects include:

  • 27 new nurse training programs resulting in up to 600 operating rooms and post anesthesia care unit nurses trained;
  • 64 new diagnostic imaging professionals trained;
  • 84 operating and procedure rooms upgraded with new equipment, including equipment for ophthalmology, orthopedic, plastic, cystoscopy, gynecology, endoscopy, bariatric, hernia, neurological and paediatric surgeries;
  • 40 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computerized tomography (CT) software upgrades, 20 new ultrasound machines, 10 new C-Arm x-ray intensifiers, seven new surgical microscopes; and
  • Eight spaces renovated overall to increase throughput and efficiency, including operating rooms and related support spaces.

Over 465,000 scheduled surgeries took place in main operating rooms in Ontario hospitals in 2020-2021, which is approximately 70 per cent of surgeries competed pre-pandemic.

Throughout the pandemic, the province says it took action to preserve access to urgent surgeries, and as a result, 99.3 per cent of the most urgent patient surgeries were completed and 76 per cent of patients who were waiting for required surgery between March 1, 2020, and March 1, 2021 have received the care they need.

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