Sault Ste. Marie hospital still 'going full force' with surgeries

A doctor in Sault Ste. Marie says surgeries are still moving ahead as scheduled, even thought some northern Ontario hospitals have had to reduce the number of surgeries due to COVID-19 patients.

Last month, Health Sciences North in Sudbury announced surgeries would be "scaled back to 80 per cent of historical volumes."

Dr. Graham Elder,chief of orthopedic surgery at the Sault Area Hospital,says a shutdown last year cancelled many surgeries.

"Iwould say at the moment, we're pretty close to where we were prior to the onset of the pandemic. Maybe not quite caught up,but pretty close."

Elder says the hospital will continue doing surgeries unless space is needed.

"I think we're going full force until it's very obvious that we have to make room in the hospital for sick patients. So elective surgeries are ongoing, day surgeries are ongoing."

There are currently no patients with COVID-19 admitted at the Sault Area Hospital.

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