Elective/Non-Urgent Surgeries and Procedures Resuming

Earlier this week, Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) gradually started to resume elective and non-urgent surgeries and procedures that were postponed as per government direction in early January.

The gradual and cautious resumption of non-urgent surgical activity at MAHC follows the provincial lifting of Directive #2, which instructed hospitals to pause non-urgent surgical procedures in response to growing COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations across the province to ensure critical care capacity and human resources were available to care for hospitalized patients.

With the recent provincial direction to restart surgeries that do not require a stay in hospital, MAHC’s surgical teams began assessing readiness for a safe, gradual ramp-up plan.  Area surgeons have begun rescheduling patients, and are contacting them to advise of their procedure date.

Earlier in February, outpatient clinics and Diagnostic Imaging appointments at MAHC resumed at a greater capacity.

“Delays in some health care services to support provincial pandemic response has been an ongoing challenge for patients awaiting care,” says Interim President & CEO Vickie Kaminski. “We appreciate the public’s understanding of temporary changes when services have to be ramped down.  We are eager to return to full capacity.”