The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Health Minister Dave Chomiak has launched a Health Services Wait Time Information website. "The information available on the website will help doctors and patients get a clearer picture of how and where to find the timeliest care," said Chomiak. "This is one piece of the government's Wait Time Reduction Plan." The website will provide information on how long a wait there may be for a particular procedure at each facility. Patients and their doctors will be able to determine where care might be accessed more quickly. The site provides information on wait times for selected procedures such as MRIs, CT scans, ultrasounds, stress MIBI, bone density and radiation therapy. As information is developed, wait time information for other procedures will be added. Wait times are maintained for elective procedures. Patients who require an immediate diagnostic treatment or surgical procedure receive it on an urgent basis-they are not placed on a wait list. The provision of information on waiting times is part of the overall Manitoba Wait Time Reduction Plan which includes: providing more health information for patients including a major Health Links expansion and the Wait Time Information website; expanding day surgery and out-patient diagnostics to free up hospital beds; investing in new diagnostic equipment for all regions of the province; expanding usage of rural operating theatres and diagnostic equipment; and stabilizing and renewing the nursing workforce. "We are moving quickly to deal with waiting time issues in Manitoba," said Chomiak, "but more can and will be accomplished. We have to continually move forward if we want to reduce waiting times, improve access to needed services, and train and hire more nurses." Chomiak said considerable investments have already been made in a number of health service areas including the education of health care professionals, capital investment in hospitals and diagnostic equipment.
