Ontario doctors welcome decision to resume non-urgent surgeries as 'the right first step'

A decision by the Ontario Ministry of Health to resume some surgeries paused due to a surge in Omicron cases, starting next Monday, is being welcomed by doctors in the province.

Dr. Fayez Quereshy, a surgical oncologist at the University Health Network, said many patients are now in line to have their procedures done.

"It's the right first step in opening up capacity," Quereshy told CBC News on Friday.

"Obviously, we'd love to have an opportunity to deliver more care in the hospital setting for patients who have been waiting for so many weeks... but opening up some capacity for things like cancer screenings certainly is a meaningful first step for my patients as well."

Non-urgent surgeries were put on hold in early January to preserve hospital capacity, affecting an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 procedures a week.

On Thursday Alexandra Hilkene, a spokesperson for Health Minister Christine Elliott, said some operations and procedures will resume in stages starting next week as the province is set to lift restrictions on businesses that were ordered to close.

Quereshy said that's a welcome move.

"Obviously, we'd like to see more capacity opening up to be able to provide cancer surgeries, cardiac surgeries and all of the other scheduled care that's been deferred. But recognizing that we're in a delicate place in the pandemic history [it's] important to balance, obviously some of that resource, as well as the capacity for our COVID patients." 

Hilkene said the first stage of the resumption will include pediatrics, diagnostic services, cancer screenings, some ambulatory clinics, private hospitals and independent health facilities.

But she noted this doesn't mean all hospitals will immediately resume the surgical and procedural activities permitted.

Quereshy said in previous waves when the entire system was slowed down, including access to primary and secondary care, many ended up being diagnosed at a later stage in their diseases.

That's meant when the system opens back up, "the kinds of patients that we see are ones with more advanced malignancies requiring higher intensity of care, people coming to the emergency department rather than through scheduled routes, and that's all been very challenging." 

Opening up capacity for screening will allow earlier detection of diseases and allow preventative care, he said, so that when the time comes for the system to open fully, it won't be as overwhelmed as it had been in previous waves.

Meanwhile, Quereshy said, if given the green light, they would be able to "bring back surgeries in a matter of a few weeks."