The Manitoba Government announced this afternoon with Health Minister Audrey Gordon that the province is shifting their methods for the screening of colon cancer as well as hiring more anesthesia clinical assistants and sending some spinal surgery patients to the U.S for their procedures.

This announcement came in a press conference held at the Manitoba legislature today with regards to the steps that the diagnostic and surgical recovery task force held.

The task force announced that it’s working with the Maples Surgical Centre as well as other local partners in order to increase gynecological surgeries as nearly 3,000 women are waiting for care with almost two-thirds of which can be taken care of in day surgeries.

They also announced that they are introducing a new way to screen for colon cancer which will provide more accurate results and will reduce the need for an endoscopic procedure.

The province is also preparing a plan to train and hire up to 13 new anesthesia clinical assistants across the province over the next three years.

The final part of the conference was that the province is working on an agreement with Sanford Health in Fargo, North Dakota to help with spinal surgeries as a part of Manitoba’s out-of-province Medical Referral Program.

Minister Gordon announced the creation of the Diagnostic and Surgical Recovery Task Force in December 2021. The work of the task force builds on existing provincial investments and measures to reduce waitlists and support access to care.

The province has already invested more than $8.8 million in agreements with public and private service providers, resulting in a net increase of more than 9,000 procedures completed in 2021-22 including cataract surgery, echocardiography, hernia surgery, pediatric dental surgery, spine surgery and endoscopy.

For more on the announcement head to the Governments website here.