In May 2020, the BC government made a commitment to catch up on surgeries that were postponed due to COVID-19 and significantly increase the number of surgeries performed above pre-pandemic levels. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

reduced wait times

Island Health buys two private facilities to boost surgical capacity

Apr 28, 2022 | 10:27 AM

NANAIMO — Vancouver Island residents will soon have access to more surgeries and endoscopies following Island Health’s purchase of two private surgical centres.

Island Health recently assumed the leases and bought assets for Seafield Surgical Centre (SSC) located near Nanaimo hospital and the View Royal Surgical Centre (VRSC).

The purchase price totalled $11.5 million.

This will allow for an additional 2,300 surgeries and 2,300 endoscopies annually, according to an Island Health news release.

Health Minister Adrian Dix said adding these two centres in the public health care system means increased capacity and reduced wait times for people needing surgery.

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“Our government is committed to delivering surgical care for British Columbians when they need it, including recovering from the surgical impacts of the pandemic, and bringing these centres on as Island Health facilities will help all of us achieve this goal,” Dix said in a statement.

Currently, SSC and VRSC staff perform certain low-complexity, same-day procedures such as plastic, general, orthopedics, urology, vascular, pediatric dental, endoscopy and cataract surgery.

SSC staff conduct approximately 2,700 procedures a year, while VRSC performs around 2,500 same-day surgeries and 4,000 outpatient procedures per year.

The health authority stated taking over these leases and purchasing the surgical equipment allows Island Health to expand its services without having to invest new capital resources.

The health authority continues working with the owner of both facilities to finalize the agreement, which is expected to take a few months.

More information on the B.C. government’s plans to increase surgery capacity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic can be found here.

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