The head of Windsor Regional Hospital says it will take weeks before non-urgent surgeries resume.
The province announced Thursday that some surgeries and procedures, paused in early January due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, will start on Monday, Jan. 31.
But David Musyj, hospital president and CEO, wants those on the wait list to know this will happen in phases and could take weeks before all non-urgent surgeries are cleared to resume.
"It's going to be just like the economy where they do one phase, they wait a week or two and certain criteria must be met before they open it further," he says.
Musyj expects more to come next week with announcements provincially and they will follow those directions.
"I would ask the community, don't call their surgeons, don't call the hospital and say 'listen, I was booked for a surgery Feb. 1, is this going to happen?' This is going to be slow and steady," he says.
The province said they first stage of surgical resumption across Ontario is expected to include pediatrics, diagnostic services, cancer screenings, some ambulatory clinics, private hospitals, and independent health facilities.
Musyj says only some procedures will begin next week at the hospital, but not actual surgeries.
Diagnostic imaging, things like that, outpatient procedures, we expect those to have resumption. There's issues with respect to paediatric patients, there will be cancer screenings," he adds.
The wait list for non-urgent/non-emergency surgeries at Windsor Regional Hospital stands at 3,452, according to a Jan. 6, 2022 report presented to the Windsor Regional Hospital Board of Directors meeting.