Markham Stouffville Hospital 'gradually resumes' surgeries, procedures delayed by COVID-19

Province gives hospitals green light to slowly ramp up outpatient care

Yorkregion.com
June 12, 2020
Heidi Riedner

A number of scheduled procedures and the outpatient care postponed indefinitely in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic will "gradually resume" at Markham Stouffville Hospital (MSH).

Surgeries and a variety of other services were put on hold in March under provincial state of emergency orders, to ensure hospitals had enough room, staff and supplies to treat COVID-19 patients, with only urgent and emergency care being conducted since then.

Beginning June 10, however, MSH will slowly ramp up services in surgery, diagnostic imaging, outpatient clinics (ambulatory care) and mental health services.

That's good news for patients worried about their health, as waiting lists continue to grow in the province at a rate of 12,500 procedures a week, as estimated by the province’s independent Financial Accountability Office.

“We recognize how difficult and frustrating this situation has been for patients whose care was postponed, and it is welcome news that the government is now giving hospitals and other health care providers the green light to slowly begin to provide these services again,” said Jo-anne Marr, president and CEO of MSH.

While Health Minister Christine Elliott had spoken of wanting to resume cancer and cardiac surgeries first, a provincial framework for the resumption of services released last month lays out various criteria and leaves those decisions up to hospitals themselves and regional committees.

Under the framework, hospitals are required to have adequate personal protective equipment and medication, as well as enough inpatient and intensive care beds, with 15 per cent reserved for COVID-19 patients.

While MSH wants to provide care as soon as possible, its top priority is to make sure everyone is safe -- patients and staff alike -- when they come to either one of the Markham and Uxbridge sites, said Marr.

"We are working hard to strike the right balance between starting scheduled care and continuing to be ready for however the COVID-19 pandemic evolves.”

Patients entering the hospital for treatment will be screened at the entrance and no visitors will be allowed, with exceptions made on a case-by-case basis.

The hospital is also asking everyone who enters the building to wear a mask, perform proper hand hygiene regularly and practice physical distancing.

MSH’s COVID-19 Assessment Centre also remains open to provide screening, assessment and testing for all individuals who wish to be tested.

An upward trend in coronavirus swabbing has continued into June, as the province moved ahead to loosen restrictions and eventually opened up testing for almost everyone on May 29.

Testing is now available for anyone who experiences at least one symptom of COVID-19 and those who are asymptomatic but concerned about exposure, according to York Region Public Health.

Visit msh.on.ca for more information on how and when backlogged services are resuming.