Nova Scotians still facing long waits for new knees and hips
Jean Laroche | CBC News | Posted: February 18, 2015 8:55 PM | Last Updated: February 18, 2015
Health official says waiting lists won't decline until people get healthier
Nova Scotians waiting for a new knee or hip are going to continue to wait much longer than the national average.
That’s despite the Nova Scotia government spending an extra $6 million to do about 1,000 more procedures in the last two years.
When they were running to become government in the last election, the Liberals promised to bring down wait times for hip and knee surgeries to about six months, which is the national average.
But Nova Scotians continue to wait three times longer.
That sobering bit of news was delivered Wednesday to an all-party committee of the Nova Scotia legislature by senior health official Peter Vaughan.
If you have a hip or joint replacement in your 40s, then you may have to have them replaced in your 60s. - Peter Vaughan
The deputy minister told members of the public accounts committee work needs to be done.
"While 96 per cent of surgeries in Nova Scotia last year were completed less than a year after the need was identified, we know that we still lag in areas like orthopedics," he said.
Vaughan says part of the problem is that people who need surgery are joining the wait list as fast as people come off it.
And that’s due, in part, to unhealthy lifestyles.
"We're seeing more people in the relatively younger group in the 40s who are getting hip and knee replacements and that's related to some of the lifestyle choices or challenges that people face," said Vaughan.
“Increased weight for example. Lack of physical activity puts a lot of stress and burdens on your hips and knees."
And if a patient refuses to change their eating habits or begin to exercise, Vaughan says that too can further add to the wait list.
“If you have to have a hip or joint replaced in your 40s, then you may have to have them replaced in your 60s," said Vaughan.