Saskatchewan Health Authority issues request for 3rd-party surgical provider

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) is on a search to find potential providers that will increase orthopedic surgeries in Regina.

A procurement process to provide up to 3,000 elective orthopedic surgeries per year in Regina has officially been opened by the SHA and the Ministry of Health.

The request for proposal includes a stand-alone orthopedic surgery facility focused on increasing operating room and bed capacity for inpatient joint replacements, as well as a variety of day surgery orthopedic procedures.

“To successfully tackle the waitlist for orthopedic surgeries, including hip and knee replacements, it’s essential to work with our third-party providers,” Minister of Health Paul Merriman said.

“Saskatchewan has forged very successful relationships with third parties for several years to provide publicly-funded, privately-delivered surgeries, which serve to add capacity for the system.”

There are currently about 8,000 patients waiting for joint replacements in Saskatchewan, and the province expects that number to increase.

“Our surgical teams are dedicated to working through a number of challenges to address the surgical waitlist,” said Sharon Garratt, the vice-president of Integrated Urban Health and chief nursing officer for the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

“Creating this additional capacity for surgery will help us better support and meet the needs of Saskatchewan patients.”

The province said the services will continue to be publicly funded, and the anticipated timeline is to award a contract in fall 2022, with the hope of having services available before Dec. 31, 2023.

Since 2010-11, third-party providers have delivered more than 128,000 publicly funded surgeries in Saskatchewan.

The details relating to criteria, process, timelines and other relevant information can be found at SaskTenders.ca.