The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) has set a May 19 date to begin resuming some of the thousands of surgeries put on hold due to COVID-19, but its four-phase plan still leaves timing for a long list of procedures “to be determined.”
“Recent data does indicate that the province is in a better position now to move forward on reintroducing services in a gradual and thoughtful way because of the interventions that have been taken to slow the spread of COVID-19,” said a statement from Scott Livingstone, the SHA’s CEO, as the plan was released on Tuesday.
Saskatchewan had 171 active cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday afternoon, though the province’s chief medical health officer has asserted that the situation remains “quiet” outside hotspots in the north and far north.
Phase 1 of the SHA plan, which begins May 19, foresees the the “phased expansion of surgeries from three week urgent and emergent cases to six week urgent cases.” That could include cataract procedures, hysterectomies and cochlear procedures. Diagnostic procedures, like MRI, CT, X-Ray and ultrasound, will also be expanded in Phase 1.
Other medical services would be expanded in that phase, with the SHA mentioning prenatal care and chronic disease support as examples. In-person appointments for mental health and addictions would resume, while mental health short stay units would reopen and harm reduction clinics would move back to regular hours.
Phase 1 also includes colorectal screening, breast biopsies, orthotics and prosthetics, outpatient orthopedic therapy, some home care services, immunizations, kidney health, inspections of health facilities like personal care homes, though the document did not describe how such services are currently affected and how widely they will resume.
But there were no dates provided for the three remaining phases in the plan, which cover cast clinics, outpatient heart monitoring, dermatology clinics, methadone therapy and sleep disorder testing, for example.
The knee and hip outpatient clinic will have to wait until the the end of the line. It’s included in Phase 4 of the plan, along with the resumption of “other scheduled and previously postponed surgeries,” though it was unclear from the document what that referred to.
As of late April, the SHA reported about 3,800 surgeries have been postponed because of planning for a potential surge in COVID-19. Cataract procedures, gynecological surgeries and knee and hip replacements were among the most affected.
Delaying those procedures was part of an SHA plan to free up beds given modelling scenarios that showed thousands of COVID-19 patients could be in hospital at once, with potentially hundreds in intensive care. Those scenarios have since been reduced to a peak of 412 ICU patients and as many as 1,736 in hospital, though that remains much higher than current levels.
As of Monday afternoon, there were seven inpatient hospitalizations related to COVID-19, plus four in intensive care.
In the SHA statement, Livingstone said the pacing of the plan to resume procedures will depend on the progression of COVID-19 cases in the province, as well as the availability of medical professionals and supplies.
“It is critical to remember that we will be constantly evaluating this process to ensure the safety of our patients, residents and our health care workers, remaining flexible in our approach to adapt to new developments and localized outbreaks,” Livingstone explained.
The SHA said it will continue to rely on virtual care for many services, though in-person appointments will become available “when necessary.”
