All non-essential surgeries and other services will be put on hold in most parts of Ontario starting Monday due to overwhelmed hospitals and a beleaguered health care system.
However, hospitals in northern Ontario will be allowed to continue the procedures.
The Dryden Regional Health Centre and other local hospitals say they will continue to perform elective surgeries and provide all other services as scheduled.
Saying that officials say at the request of Ontario Health, the hospital is prepared to ramp down non-urgent and emergency services and elective surgeries on short notice if required.
The public will be informed right away if that decision is made.
Dryden Hospital President and Chief Executive Officer Doreen Armstrong-Ross says they are making every effort to ensure patients receive care safely and effectively.
“We’ve learned a lot since the first wave of the pandemic last year,” says Armstrong-Ross. “We know that delaying elective surgeries and other procedures and appointments has an adverse effect on patient outcomes and quality of life. We also know that the stringent infection control measures we have in place are effective in keeping our patients, staff and physicians safe.”
Those include strict Personal Protective Equipment protocols, screening for patients prior to their procedure date, and testing for patients and providers who travel to Dryden.
