Cancelling non-urgent elective surgeries leaves patients depressed, in pain: Ontario NDP health critic

Hospitals in northern Ontario have been directed by the province's medical officer of health to cancel non-urgent elective surgeries.

The order comes as hospitals in northern areashave started taking COVID-19 patients from hospitals in hot-spot zones, where intensive-care units are being pushed beyondcapacity.

Hospitals in southern Ontario were already directed to cancel non-emergency procedures earlier this month.

An infectious disease specialist working at the Sault Area Hospital says the situation is frustrating.

"Ithink the worst part about it is we've seen a lot of this ahead of time," said Dr. Lucas Castellani.

"We kind of predicted a lot of this would come if the restrictions were lifted quickly and ifthings didn't getmorecontrolled earlier on in2021."

Castellani saidhe understands the reason for ramping down procedures, but worriesit will have a negative impacton people's quality of life as they wait for surgeries.

Nickel Belt NDP MPP and health critic France Glinasexpects to get a lot of calls from frustrated constituents in the coming days.

"People have been waiting for their surgery for a long time. Some of them have a date and many of them live in pain,and now they don't know when the surgery or the procedures will take place," she said.

"I was hoping that the Doug Ford government would listen to public health and to the medical experts telling him what to do to gain control over the spread of COVID. The No. 1 thing that he refuses to do and everybody tells him to do is to have paid sick days."

The province, which reported another 4,212 cases of COVID-19 and 32 more deaths linked to the illness on Wednesday, confirmed that "enhancements" are coming to the federal paid sick leave program.

She saidmost of the communityspread happens in essential workers who are not feeling well but still go to work because they cannot afford to take time off. If the premierhad put a paid sick leave plan in place a week or two ago, theprovince would not be shutting down all non-emergency surgery, added Glinas.

The stories of people in pain are getting harder to hear, she said.

"We have a backlog of a quarter of a million Ontarians who are in pain waiting for surgery and procedures because of delays," she said.

"It plays on people's trust inthe health-care system.A lot of them got very depressedand not seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, having lost faith that the health-care system cared about them."

Stress on health workers, families

Castellani saidhe can give many examples of surgeries being cancelled that negatively impact people's quality of life. Healso feels some anxiety around caring for patients who aren't from the district.

"Our hospital and our front-line workers have tonavigate that," he said.

"It's a totally different thing where we're navigating patients that are not from where we are, in very vulnerable situations. So it'llcertainly be a change for us. There's a lot of emotions, let's just say, for sure."

Glinassaidhealth-care workers are all telling her the same thing they havenever worked thishard in their lives.

"They need a break and there is no break coming. Right now, we're bracing to have very sick people transferred against their wishes and against their family wishes to a hospital in northern Ontario."

She said she thinks of a grandfather who's gravely ill in intensive care in southern Ontarioand loved ones who are being toldhe's suddenly being moved400 kilometres north for treatment.

"And you don't have a car and we're in lockdown.You cannot imagine the stress on those families."