Winnipeg/CMEDIA: $2.7 million is reportedly being invested by the Manitoba government in advanced surgical technology at Concordia Hospital, Premier Wab Kinew and Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced today.
“Manitobans deserve timely access to the care they need, close to home,” said Kinew. “By expanding advanced spine surgery at Concordia Hospital, we’re helping patients get back on their feet faster while training the next generation of world-class surgeons with cutting-edge technology.”
Having performed the first navigated instrumentation spinal surgery at Concordia Hospital in June 2025, surgeons used advanced 3D imaging and precision guidance which allows for precise, minimally invasive procedures, enabling most patients to return home the same day or the following day.
This investment makes Concordia Hospital a spine centre of excellence with surgeons from across Canada and the world coming to Winnipeg for advanced surgical training using this new equipment.
“This investment shows what rebuilding health care looks like in practice,” said Asagwara. “We’re bringing advanced technology into our hospitals, expanding surgical capacity and making Manitoba a leader in specialized care so Manitobans can get high-quality treatment sooner and recover closer to home.”
This type of surgery was only performed previously, at Health Sciences Centre (HSC) Winnipeg.
The procedure surgical capacity being expanded to Concordia Hospital increases and helps reduce wait times across the province is by allowing operating room resources at HSC Winnipeg to focus on complex spinal cases.
“Thanks to this new instrumentation and modern surgical approach, recovery time is much quicker for patients,” says Dr. Jay Toor, orthopedic surgeon at HSC and Concordia Hospital. “This surgery is minimally invasive with minimal pain. Approximately 90 per cent of patients who have received this type of surgery have gone home the same day or the next day. In the past, those surgeries required a stay in the hospital of several days or up to a week.”
The minister noted that the results can be life-changing for patients.
Carol Bigold, the first patient to receive instrumented spine surgery at Concordia Hospital, says the procedure allowed her to return to everyday activities that were once painful.
“I can’t believe how quickly I recovered and was back up and walking around,” said Bigold. “Even just standing and chopping vegetables before would cause pain. Now I am out walking and gardening and enjoying life again. It doesn’t bother me in the slightest. The surgery has made worry-free travel possible again, allowing me to enjoy pain-free hiking in the Lake District of England earlier this year. Hiking was something I would not have found possible without considerable pain before the surgery. I’m grateful to be able to have this opportunity again.”
As the primary teaching centre in Canada for this equipment, Concordia Hospital is now training surgeons from Brazil, Qatar and Turkey, the minister noted.
“Adding Concordia Hospital as a site where this type of surgery is performed is about more than just bringing in new technologies. It’s also helping cut down on the waitlist for more complex spinal surgeries that need to be performed at HSC,” said Dr. Ed Buchel, provincial surgery specialty lead, Shared Health. “We’ve performed 42 navigated instrumented spine surgeries so far at Concordia. Our goal is to perform approximately 75 every year, which opens up operating room time for those complex cases at HSC.”
Being coordinated through the recently opened Manitoba Spine Clinic, the surgical expansion at Concordia Hospital and the clinic, located at HSC, brings together a multidisciplinary team under one roof with neurosurgical and orthopedic spine surgeons, specially trained physiotherapists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and nurses to help patients access spinal care. It also provides a central intake to manage waitlists and optimize this enhanced surgical capacity.
