2 Manitoba cardiac patients sent to Ontario, Quebec hospitals for surgery

Manitoba has senttwo cardiac patients out of the province so they can get surgery next week, a Shared Health spokesperson says.

Both patients were staying at home prior to being cleared travelling via medevac. One was sent to a facility in Ontario and the otherwas sent to Quebec.

Manitoba health care is inundated by COVID-19 cases,and that'saffecting otherhealth services, including having to reduce surgical capacity to focus on "those most urgent and emergent cases," the spokesperson said.

As a result, surgery wait lists have grown to the point it's becoming detrimental to patients on those lists, the spokesperson added.

Six cardiac patients in Manitoba recently died while waiting for cardiac surgery due to a surge in COVID-19 admissions, Dr. Eric Jacobsohn, an ICU physician and cardiac anesthesiologist, recently told CBC News.

Shared Health is focusing on performing surgeries on people most in need and will send people elsewhere if they're cleared to travel, the spokesperson said.