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Surgery wait time leaves patient frustrated

Lengthy delays and cancellation of scheduled surgeries have become a nightmare at Vernon Jubilee Hospital. My husband has been waiting for 56 weeks to have knee replacement surgery in Vernon. We have been advised that there will be no new surgeries scheduled until after Thanksgiving. If he is forced to wait until mid-October, my husband will have been on a wait list for 69 weeks.

Open letter to George Abbott:

Lengthy delays and cancellation of scheduled surgeries have become a nightmare at Vernon Jubilee Hospital. My husband has been waiting for 56 weeks to have knee replacement surgery in Vernon. We have been advised that there will be no new surgeries scheduled until after Thanksgiving. If he is forced to wait until mid-October, my husband will have been on a wait list for 69 weeks.

According to the Ministry of Health website, the average wait time for knee replacement surgery in B.C. is 34 weeks. As you can see, the wait in Vernon is beyond acceptable. A major contributing factor to the surgical delays is cancellation of scheduled surgeries due to lack of beds.

Your constituents in the Shuswap do not enjoy the privilege of having these surgical procedures performed locally. They are forced to travel out of town and then they are forced to wait in agonizing pain. The lack of sufficient beds at Vernon Jubilee Hospital directly affects the most vulnerable of your constituents.

One of the greatest measures of society is how we look after our sick, aging and dying.

Please support our need for timely surgeries by ensuring that Vernon Jubilee Hospital has the staff and equipment required to serve your constituents.

 

 

Lin Maxwell