Orthopaedic surgeons call for dedicated hip and knee surgery centre
Orthopaedic surgeons in Newfoundland and Labrador’s Eastern Urban Zone are calling for a dedicated surgical centre to address lengthy wait times for hip and knee replacements, warning the number of patients waiting for surgery could more than double by 2030.
About 2,800 patients are currently waiting for joint replacement surgery, a figure surgeons say could reach 6,100 within four years.
According to Dr. William Moores, chief of orthopaedics for the Eastern Urban Zone of Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, patients wait approximately 18 months just to see a surgeon, followed by an average of more than two years between the decision to operate and surgery.
That puts the total wait from referral to surgery at nearly four years. Moores says prolonged waits can worsen patient outcomes and significantly affect mobility, independence and quality of life, leaving some people unable to perform everyday activities or even walk.
The current system, including St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital and the Health Sciences Centre, has the capacity to perform approximately 1,000 joint replacements annually.
Surgeons are proposing that the provincial government commit to a six-month pilot project involving 200 procedures outside the traditional hospital system. If successful, they want to develop a purpose-built orthopaedic surgical centre capable of performing approximately 2,000 joint replacements a year, with a target opening in 2027.
The team says dedicated facilities could improve efficiency, provide more predictable surgical capacity and reduce wait times. It also points to similar centres operating in eight other Canadian provinces.
Moores says a patient-focused approach is urgently needed to address the growing backlog and prevent thousands of people from living with debilitating pain while waiting years for treatment.
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