September 23, 2004

Premier Gary Doer today announced $500,000 in new funding to perform orthopedic surgery to reduce wait times and to take advantage of new state-of-the-art facilities and surgery consolidation at Concordia General Hospital.

“The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, Concordia General Hospital and its foundation should be congratulated for developing a program which is among the best in the nation,” Doer said at the grand opening of a $3.2-million redevelopment at the hospital.  “This new funding will help cement Concordia as a national leader in hip and knee replacements.”

The additional resources to increase the number of procedures by 100 is one of a series of steps to reduce wait times for orthopedics.

The premier said the funding being provided to reduce wait times for hip and knee replacements is a priority.  He added the plan for consolidation of surgery at Concordia is a model for improved care management.

“When it comes to reducing wait times, new funding is only part of the solution.  There is also a need to find better ways of managing the resources currently available.  By adding resources to this innovative model for orthopedic surgery at Concordia, we are finding better ways to invest in health care for the benefit of Manitoba patients.”

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