The provincial government has announced two new initiatives to increase capacity for orthopedic surgery.

The first initiative involves operating room capacity at Carbonear General Hospital.

Traditionally, orthopedic services at the site were limited to same-day surgeries only. Now, to accommodate the addition of joint replacement surgeries, four new beds will be opened.

Government predicts about 160 joint replacements could be performed at the site annually. There are no firm timelines yet to get surgeries up and running, as that is dependent on the recruitment and training of staff.

The second initiative is a traveling orthopedic team that will make monthly trips to St. Anthony to do surgeries at the hospital there for week-long periods. Government anticipates the team could begin surgeries later this month, completing about 140 procedures annually.

Premier Andrew Furey says providing greater access to such surgeries will help improve patients’ quality of life.

He says people can be “incredibly crippled” with an arthritic hip. He says orthopedic surgery can give back employment opportunities and is regarded as one of the most effective surgeries.