Shortened Wait Times Expected as Up to 10,000 Patients Per Year to be Cared for at New Centre
Urologist Dr. Jeff Saranchuk at Health Sciences Centre.
A new, world-class urologic centre that provides care for up to 10,000 Manitobans per year will be developed at Health Sciences Centre (HSC), shortening wait times and improving patient care. The announcement was made today by the HSC Foundation and the Manitoba government. The new centre is expected to open by the end of 2023.
“The new Manitoba Urologic Centre will better position HSC Winnipeg—Manitoba’s hospital—to respond to the evolving needs of the community,” said HSC Foundation President and CEO Jonathon Lyon. “Manitobans increasingly understand that philanthropy plays a key role in the delivery of health care and we couldn’t be more pleased to support a worthwhile initiative that will help thousands of patients per year.”
The Manitoba Urologic Centre will provide timely, leading-edge care to patients requiring transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), kidney stone removal, and treatment for certain types of bladder cancer, among other conditions. Wait times are expected to drop from up to a year to weeks and days for many procedures. For rural and northern patients, the new centre will be able to work toward performing the required procedure on the same day they receive their diagnosis.
“The Manitoba Urologic Centre will mark an important milestone for HSC Winnipeg and for health care in Manitoba,” said Health and Seniors Care Minister Audrey Gordon. “The frontline medical staff at HSC will be able to provide the highest level of care to Manitobans while using the most modern equipment and procedures. We are grateful for the vision and generosity of the Foundation and its donors.”
Reduced wait times at the centre are expected to lead to better outcomes for patients by reducing the risk of future health complications. Additionally, with many procedures moved from operating rooms to the new centre, space will be freed up elsewhere in the province’s health care system for additional surgical capacity.
“This is a very important development for HSC and our patients,” said Dr. Jeff Saranchuk, urologist at HSC. “Under the status quo, rural and remote patients often have to make several trips over many months to get the complete care they need. Other patients experience discomfort while waiting for their kidney stones to be treated. We will now have the capacity to treat people more quickly—sometimes within days—with the best technology available.”
The centre will be housed on the HSC campus at HSC Winnipeg, 735 Notre Dame (735 Notre Dame Ave., formerly known as the Women’s Pavilion). Construction costs and equipment acquisition will be funded by the HSC Foundation and its donors. The province, through Shared Health, will pay for ongoing operating costs at the centre.
The current urology space, located within HSC’s main hospital building, will be redeveloped for other high-priority acute care needs.
A request for proposals on construction of the new centre is expected to be issued later today.
About the Health Sciences Centre Foundation:
The Health Sciences Centre Foundation rallies individual, corporate, and institutional donors in support of HSC Winnipeg—Manitoba’s hospital. By inspiring Manitobans to donate, the HSC Foundation enhances patient care and accelerates innovation at HSC through the acquisition of state-of-the-art technology, the development of new clinical spaces, and the promotion of groundbreaking research. Through specific, timely, and essential investments, the HSC Foundation helps to deliver tomorrow’s health care, today.
