How COVID continues to impact training of surgeons in Canada: ‘Not business as usual’
Global News
A study published in 2021 found that about four out of five doctors in plastic surgery residency training programs across Canada believed the pandemic curtailed their exposure.
Training of surgeons in Canada has taken a heavy knock from the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, and some doctors say their clinical education has been delayed again in recent months as many hospitals across the country cancelled elective procedures to keep up with emergency care.
Far from looking forward to entering the workforce, some newly graduated surgeons say they are worried and frustrated about backlogs that have put operations on hold.
“I went months without participating in regular surgeries,” said Dr. Kelly Brennan, a general surgery trainee in eastern Ontario.
Delays also affected less urgent specialty procedures such as endoscopies, Brennan added.
Provinces are taking different measures to address surgical backlogs. The Ontario government recently said in a release it’s investing over $300 million over the next year and launching a new software tool aimed at managing the wait list. This month Premier Doug Ford also announced a plan to expand the number and types of procedures to be offered at private clinics.
According to a report commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association released last September, British Columbia plans a $303-million investment over the next three years to speed up diagnostic imaging and surgical procedures.
Manitoba’s 2022 budget included a $110-million investment to reduce backlogs while Saskatchewan plans to ascribe $21.6 million to addressing the surgical wait-list as it anticipates a return to pre-COVID wait times by the end of March 2025. Nova Scotia similarly endorsed a plan to return to national benchmarks for surgical wait times by 2025.
Despite this infusion of government money, it’s unclear whether there will be enough medical professionals, including nurses, to accomplish these goals, Brennan said about Ontario’s plans.
The group says MAGA Energy hasn't paid its lease for three years, and therefore the company is no longer allowed on their land in Edmonton.
The analysis by the Canadian Climate Institute says oilsands producers will pay an average of about 50 cents per oil barrel, if the minimum carbon price rises to $130 per tonne.
Between November 29 and February 27, authorities recorded 406 outbreaks of bird flu in domestic birds in 32 European countries and 2,108 outbreaks in wild birds, they said.
Dr. Michael Domeier, director of the Marine Conservation Science Institute, told Global News that they tag the adult females as they are the most interesting.
Regina’s recycling contamination is currently triple the limit and city is urging resident to change sorting habits now to avoid citywide fines and higher resident fees.
The study found that higher ultra-processed food intake at age three years was associated with adverse behavioural and emotional symptoms at age five years.
Edmonton's single-use waste rules were controversial and unpopular when introduced in 2023 — but new data shows the changes are having the intended effect of reducing garbage.
Carney's speech to Australia's parliament highlighted a soon-to-launch Canadian low earth orbit satellite network that experts say could soon compete with Elon Musk's Starlink.
The Pentagon said in a statement Thursday that it has “officially informed Anthropic leadership the company and its products are deemed a supply chain risk, effective immediately.”
Opioid overdose deaths in Canada are falling, but there's growing concerns on a certain veterinary tranquilizer being cut into fentanyl and other opioids.
The product is being recalled in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan due to 'undeclared almonds' being found.
Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Chris Tanev is out for the rest of the season, the NHL team announced Wednesday.
A large swath of southern Alberta is under a snowfall warning, with up to 30 centimetres of snow forecast to fall in some areas before the snow tapers off by Saturday morning.