Health PEI reducing some non-urgent procedures, services to ensure sufficient hospital capacity

A patient waits along the wall of a hallway in a hospital emergency room in this 2011 photo. (AP / David Goldman)

In order to maintain hospital capacity, Health PEI says it must reduce some non-urgent procedures and services at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown.

A release from the province says the changes are necessary to ensure staff and bed capacity are available for people who may require life-saving care in the coming days.

“Since the Omicron wave began, our staff and physicians have worked hard to keep as many services open as possible while caring for new COVID-19 patients. Unlike most of the rest of Canada, we have kept much of our health system operating through these efforts,” said Dr. Michael Gardam, Health PEI CEO.

“Now, following several weeks of COVID-19 admissions, we are at a point where we need to make these reductions to be able to continue to care for the sick patients who need intensive care and to continue to offer surgeries and services to people who need them most.” 

To date, Health PEI says it has only rescheduled a small number of surgeries.

“We appreciate that all health services and procedures are very important to the patients who are to receive them, and this decision will be difficult for them to hear. Health PEI staff have done everything possible to avoid service disruptions, and we continue to only reschedule procedures where the reduction will help us maintain critical care and emergency services,” said Gardam.

Over the next seven days, the province says approximately 40 to 50 cataract surgeries will be delayed, along with 14 of 92 other elective or non-urgent surgeries.

Patients who have procedures rescheduled will be contacted directly.

Gardam adds, although the daily cause counts have started to "plateau", the peak of hospitalizations has not yet been reached.

"Health PEI assesses the situation daily, and plans are adapted as needed to provide the best care possible," wrote the province in a release.