Elective surgery is the latest victim of the coronavirus.
Christine Elliott, Minister of Health, in a news release says, "Since we first learned of COVID-19, Ontario has been diligently monitoring and taking decisive action to contain the spread of this new virus and ensure the province's health care system is ready for any scenario. At the same time, we must also carefully consider how to best maximize resources and prioritize services.
"The province is requesting that all hospitals further implement pandemic plans by carefully ramping down elective surgeries and other non-emergent clinical activity. In doing so, hospitals can preserve capacity as cases of COVID-19 continue to grow in Ontario.
Hospitals are being asked to follow three guiding principles:
- Use an ethical framework to guide decision-making;
- Prevent high risk and occult transmission; and
- Develop and preserve capacity within our system.
"The approach that we are taking will provide the necessary discretion for hospitals to make decisions based on local circumstances, while preserving the ability for the province to take a more prescriptive approach, should it be warranted based on evidence," said Elliott.
