Interior Health will resume elective surgeries that were postponed due to COVID-19 next Tuesday, May 19.

It is calling patients to confirm their health status and to see if they are still willing to move forward with their surgeries at this time. The health authority says anyone who chooses to delay their surgeries, will hold their spot on the wait list.

“For the time that elective surgeries were stopped, from March 16th to May 10th, about 3,000 people in Interior Health had their elective surgeries postponed,” said IHA CEO, Susan Brown. “We know it will take some time to get back to where we were prior to March, and we will do everything we can to address those living with pain as they wait for their surgery.”

The province announced a plan to resume elective surgeries last week and the backlog across B.C. is expected to take up to two years to clear at a cost of $250-million.

There are over 93,000 people on the wait list for a surgery across B.C., after more than 30,000 surgeries were cancelled to make room in hospitals in the event of a spike in COVID-19 cases.

“During that time period, our surgical teams across IH were able to complete more than 3,500 surgeries that were urgent and emergent in nature,” Brown added. “As well, our physicians and IH staff have constantly been assessing people to ensure their surgeries can safely be postponed.”

Brown says patients will be rescheduled based on priority, and their plan is dependent on several factors including an adequate supply of personal protective equipment and monitoring of a possible resurgence of COVID-19 cases.

Interior Health will also maximize its ability to do minor procedures outside an operating room, as well as day surgeries that do not require overnight stay in hospital.