Ontario to fund hip and knee surgeries at private clinic in Ottawa

A file image of surgeons in the operating room. (Anna Shvets/pexels.com)

The Ontario government will fund hip and knee replacement surgeries at a private clinic in Ottawa over the next two years, as part of a plan to reduce wait times and support more publicly funded orthopedic surgeries.

Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced Monday $125 million over two years to fund four new community surgical and diagnostic centres across Ontario to perform orthopedic surgeries.

One of the four recipients of the orthopedic licences is the Academic Orthopedic Surgical Associates of Ottawa, a group of orthopedic surgeons.

A spokesperson for Jones told CTV News Ottawa that further details about the centre in Ottawa, operated by the Academic Orthopedic Surgical Associates of Ottawa, will be “shared in the near future.”

In February 2023, the Ottawa Hospital (TOH) announced it was working with the Academic Orthopedic Association of Ottawa (AOAO) to increase capacity for orthopedic procedures. Surgeries were performed on weekends at the Ottawa Hospital’s Riverside Campus.

A spokesperson for the Ottawa Hospital said 2,225 hip, knee and shoulder procedures have been performed through the partnership between TOH and the Academic Orthopedic Surgical Associates of Ottawa since February 2023.

“TOH continues to expand access to orthopedic surgery in line with provincial priorities and our commitment to delivering high-quality care across the region,” the Ottawa Hospital said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.

“We remain in close contact with AOAO as their application advances, and we continue to work together to enhance integrated care for our community.”