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Windsor Regional Hospital plans for phased approach of resuming non-urgent procedures

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Windsor Regional Hospital’s CEO says they are waiting for official directive on the return of non-urgent procedures after an announcement from the Ontario government.

The province announced Thursday that hospitals will be able to resume previously paused services. This will include non-urgent surgeries and procedures in pediatrics, diagnostic services, cancer screenings, some ambulatory clinics, private hospitals and independent health facilities.

Officials did warn that not all hospitals will be able to immediately resume these procedures and that “hospitals will need to meet certain criteria.” The province said that selection would be based on “local context and conditions.”

Rachelle Plourde has been waiting for gallbladder surgery for two years now.

Hope finally came in December, she received a surgery date. But it was postponed again, thanks to the wave of Omicron cases.

“It’s really frustrating and emotional,” Plourde said.

The mother of two said somedays the pain is so bad, she can’t get out of bed.

“I can understand surgeries that can be canceled that are not necessary, this is a necessary surgery that I have been waiting for,” she said.

She is now back on the waiting list.

Windsor Regional Hospital CEO David Musyj says whatever was announced by the province on Thursday with respect to the resumption of non-urgent/non-emergent surgeries was premature, saying Friday morning the directive to pause remains in effect.

“We are not out of this yet,” says Musyj.

Musyj says all provincial plans still need to be formalized noting hospital officials will wait for official directive.

Meantime, Musyj says what’s being proposed is a slow and steady, phased approach similar to the economy, noting it could take weeks before non-urgent procedures resume.

“Clearly the first phase is not going to result in the resumption of surgeries. It’s going to be some time. A week or two before any non-urgent/non-emergent surgeries are going to be open.”

Plourde hopes to have a new surgery date by April.

“You have to be COVID-free prior the operation so this is kind of scary for me because you don’t know what’s going to happen next,” she said.

Musyj urges residents waiting for surgery or other procedures not to call the hospital or their surgeons yet, suggesting the eventual resumption will take time.

“As soon as we know, we will share it with the community,” he adds.

Musyj explains the hospital system remains strained with daily COVID admissions, but believes Windsor-Essex is better off than other parts of the province.

“The peak of this is supposed to be happening in early to mid-February and then it goes down, but you’ve got to remember when you’ve got a peak and you’re going down, 50 per cent of the cases happen on the way down,” Musyj adds. “It’s not going to be snap of the fingers and all of a sudden we’re back to normal because we’re not. We’re not anywhere near normal right yet.”

With files from CTV Windsor's Chris Campbell.

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