March 01, 2006
The number of children on the wait-list for elective pediatric dental surgery in the Winnipeg region has been reduced by more than 60 per cent since January 2005, Health Minister Tim Sale said today.
"The waiting list for pediatric dental surgery is down significantly in the Winnipeg region," said Sale. "Our efforts to increase medical support to children in need of dental surgery are working."
Sale noted the number of children waiting for elective dental surgery has dropped to 557 as of February 2006 from 1,400 in January 2005.
Children needing emergency surgery can be scheduled immediately.
The minister acknowledged the collaborative work of the dental surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and all the other health professionals at the Misericordia Health Centre, Heath Sciences Centre, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and Manitoba Health in reducing the pediatric dental wait-list.
"All of the hard work that has been undertaken in Winnipeg has resulted in a significant cut to the pediatric dental wait-list," said Sale. "We still have work to do, but by expanding the access to pediatric dental services, we are meeting the dental needs of many more children."
In November 2005, Manitoba announced more than $1.6 million from wait-time reduction funding for pediatric dental initiatives to further reduce wait times. This included:
$1.2 million over two years to expand the Healthy Smile – Happy Child Early Childhood Tooth Decay Prevention Project throughout the province.
$400,000 over the next three years to add 200 additional surgeries per year and improve operating room information systems in the Burntwood Regional Health Authority. The region has recruited a full-time anesthetist who will participate in the program.
"Repatriating surgeries from Winnipeg to regional communities is a key part of our strategy to continue to manage wait-lists for pediatric dental surgery," said Sale. "We will also be looking for ways to improve wait-list co-ordination to better serve patients."
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