Province invests millions into spinal surgery project at Concordia Hospital
Posted March 13, 2026 4:50 pm.
Last Updated March 14, 2026 11:01 am.
In an effort to give Manitobans timely access to the care they need, the province is investing millions into advanced surgical technology at Concordia Hospital, and it means patients who need spine surgery will receive care more quickly and also experience shorter recovery times.
“We are announcing $2.7 million in investment in minimally invasive spine surgery. That means that Manitobans are going to get the care they need right here at home,” said Uzoma Asagwara, Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-term Care, Province of Manitoba.
So far, surgeons have provided more than 40 surgeries using the new equipment at Concordia, and this expansion is part of the Manitoba Spine Clinic.
Dr. Ed Buchel, the provincial surgery specialty lead with Shared Health, says it’s helped to decrease wait times.
“Concordia has seen a 115 per cent increase in its spine surgeries since 2019. From January to February of this year, Concordia has delivered 34 spine cases and is on track to deliver more than 200,” said Dr. Buchel.
The province believes the investment will help to take pressure off the Health Science Centre, where wait times were sitting around 7.5 months to two years for a spinal surgery as of September of 2025.
“One of the biggest impacts that this has had is we are now able to move moderately complex spine surgeries that were previously only performed at HSC, out of HSC and into Concordia Hospital,” said Dr. Jay Toor, an orthopedic spine surgeon at Concordia Hospital.
This advanced surgical technique means patients experience less pain and faster recovery times. Most can return home within 24 hours, something medical officials call a significant improvement.
“These traditional surgeries before this technology was brought in were very long incisions with a lot of blood loss and higher patient complications,” said Dr. Toor.
Carol Bigold was the first patient to undergo this procedure at Concordia Hospital.
“It was very quick. It’s been not quite a year, and I was climbing a mountain on Christmas,” said Bigold.
Premier Wab Kinew, saying, “Just the freedom to be able to live your life, to get outdoors during winter time, to be able to walk to the store is a huge part of having a high quality of life and being able to get more Manitobans back to that freedom more quickly as an investment that I think we should all be proud of.”
