A provincial leader in ending gender-based violence returned home to Victoria on Friday from Calgary, where she had hip surgery at a private clinic after giving up on the idea of waiting for the surgery in B.C.
Porteous was referred by Telus Health and first saw an orthopedic surgeon at RebalanceMD in Saanich in December 2021. She received regular injections to her hip and knee joints to ease the pain, and was moved up the waitlist for surgery on her hip as her symptoms and nerve pain worsened. “Along this short journey, I’ve met people who have contemplated MAID because they have waited so long for their joint replacement — two and four years,” said Porteous.
While the capital region has grown significantly over the past five years, surgical time allocation hasn’t kept up, he said. “This is a problem throughout Canada,” he said. “Other jurisdictions have innovated with weekend surgeries and/or contracted work to private facilities.“ In the meantime, Fletcher said, there is merit to the idea of a surgical facility for orthopaedics outside the hospital as a solution.