Cape Breton woman told to wait more than three years for surgery

Surgery backlogs have been plaguing hospitals in the Atlantic region through the pandemic, with patients suffering delays for a variety of procedures.

“I've been waiting for surgery now for the last two years, and I’m told it will be another 18 months. It's not acceptable that I have to be waiting that long,” said Brenda Walsh, who has a prolapsed bladder and has been living in pain for quite a while.

She will need to have the procedure done in Halifax, because she says there are no surgeons available in Sydney.

“It's not good. There are days I’m sitting around crying with pain and suffering. I'm suffering a lot with pain,” said Walsh.

In an email, Nova Scotia Health said they are working to improve access to surgical services to address COVID-19 related backlogs, achieve wait time targets and improve the care and experiences of their patients.

“That's a surgery that can have a huge impact on the quality of life for the patient, and to have to wait three-and-a-half years, I think, is unacceptable,” said Dr. Margaret Fraser, a Cape Breton physician.

Fraser says the lack of specialists and bed availability on Cape Breton is holding up or delaying procedures.

“It's not surprising to me that people are experiencing those kinds of waits. It's very difficult for the patients and their families and difficult for us as health care providers to know we referred our patients and they're not getting the care they need,” said Fraser.

Nova Scotia Health says they have identified specific strategies and resources needed to allow more surgeries in the coming years, including more beds and staff. These plans are aimed at completing 2,500 more surgeries over the next year.