The Chief of Orthopaedics in the metro region is proposing that the health authority create a dedicated centre for hip and knee surgery to help address lengthy wait times.
Dr. William Moores says urgent action is needed with approximately 2,800 patients currently waiting up to four years for surgery.
He says that number could balloon to 6,100 patients by 2030, given the province’s aging population.
Moores says that’s a lot of people waiting a long time with pain and disability.
He’s suggesting that, instead of accommodating patients in a system while competing with other health care needs, that the needs of patients come first.
(File Photo from 2023: Divisional Head of Orthopaedics with NL Health Services, Dr. Will Moores, Former Premier Andrew Furey, and former MHA Steve Crocker.)
Moores says it’s not a new concept, with similar centres up and running in eight other provinces that “have been quite successful in helping decrease wait times.”
He says among patients requiring hit and knee replacements, the population is fairly homogenous, “so you can really design and help increase the efficiency by designing it specifically for the delivery of those several procedures.
“That is really what we’re proposing, a well-delivered model that exists in other provinces here in Newfoundland.”
Moores says he’s had conversations with both the current and previous governments about the concept.
He says those conversations have been positive “but unfortunately, movement has been slow.”
