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Arthritis Society responds to Manitoba budget 

Statement from Trish Barbato, President and CEO

We applaud the Government of Manitoba for making healthcare a priority in its budget released yesterday, which included a minimum of $50 million in new funding to reduce wait times, including dedicated funding for joint replacement surgeries.  

On behalf of arthritis patients, we’ve been raising the issue of wait times for some time and recently convened a pan-Canadian working group to put patients waiting in pain first. The investments announced in the Manitoba budget, as well as other provincial budgets across the country, shows our efforts are starting to bear fruit.   

Arthritis is the leading cause of hip and knee replacement surgery. We routinely hear from people about their diminished quality of life while they wait too long for these life-changing surgeries and this past year, the number of those stories has increased.    

Joint pain can be excruciating. It can limit or prohibit the ability to walk and move.  

Manitobans also support investing in joint replacement surgeries. In a recent Angus Reid poll, 84 per cent agreed that governments should make joint replacement surgeries a priority. 

It’s clear the Government of Manitoba is committed to building a stronger health-care system that works to provide patients with better care sooner. The health-care funding increase of $156 million puts the overall health budget at nearly $7 billion. 

 We encourage the Manitoba government to work with all stakeholders, including the Arthritis Society, as it moves forward on its investments to reduce surgical wait times and deliver quality healthcare.  

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