Listen Live
Listen Live
Listen Live

Volume of surgeries completed in Northern Health hit hard by second wave

(Files by Dione Wearmouth-MyPGNow)

Across BC, more and more surgeries that were initially postponed due to the pandemic are being completed.

95% of surgeries that were postponed back on March 16th, 2020 in Northern Health have since been completed, as of February.

That trend mirrors the BC mark, as 95% of the 15,373 patients that had their surgical procedure postponed have since been treated.

However, the Northern region’s waitlist size for non-urgent surgeries this year is considerably higher and is now at 4,837 or 110% of the previous mark of 4,416.

The North’s waitlist for urgent surgeries, meaning those needing to be completed in a matter of six weeks, is also on the rise with 699 patients, 66 more than the 2019-20 mark.

According to the BC Centre for Disease Control, these numbers reflect the North’s ability to conduct surgeries within the second wave of the pandemic.

“The second wave affected Northern Health, a significant increase in COVID-19 cases meant that UHNBC and Mills Memorial Hospital in Terrace were particularly affected by increased patients in hospital which required staff to be redeployed from surgery to care for these patients,” reads the BCCDC website.

While UHNBC was dealing with two outbreaks, one in the Rehab Unit (Jan 5th- Jan 25th ) the other at the Internal Medicine Unit (Dec 29th- Feb 10th), approximately 82 surgeries were postponed across Northern Health.

This comes after the Prince George surgical centre added 280 hours of contracted capacity for surgeries between May 18th and February 4th, 2021.

Something going on in the Cariboo you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].

Continue Reading

ckbx Now playing play

cffm Now playing play

ckcq Now playing play

- Advertisement -

Related Articles

- Advertisement -

Latest News

Regional Hospital Board Contribute Funding for Health Workers Childcare

The Cariboo Regional District is contributing funding to support the construction of a childcare centre with Interior Health. Finding a childcare and daycare centre in the Cariboo-Chilcotin is one of the main reasons bringing in long-term healthcare professionals to the region has been difficult, says Al Richmond, Chair of the Cariboo-Chilcotin Regional Hospital District Board (CCRHD).

Update: Severe Thunderstorm Watch and Warning over Quesnel

Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm warning across the North Cariboo and in Quesnel.

G.R Baker Emergency Department Closed Until Morning

Northern Health advises Quesnel and area residents that the emergency room at G.R. Baker Memorial Hospital will be closed from 6:00 p.m. Friday, July 18, until 8:00 a.m. Saturday, July 19.

KIJHL Announce Home Openers For 2025/2026 Season

The KIJHL has announced the regular schedule and home openers for the 2025/2026 season. The regular season starts on September 19, and each team will compete in 44 games during the regular season, which concludes on February 28, 2026.

Accident on Highway 97 On Ramp Closed Section Briefly

A single vehicle merging onto Highway 97 Northbound in Quesnel, hit a traffic pole. Police and the Quesnel Volunteer Fire Department closed the ramp down as the accident was assessed. Only the driver of the vehicle was taken to the hospital with suspected minor injuires.
- Advertisement -