Construction to establish a new renal unit that allows dialysis patients to receive care closer to home is now underway at Bethesda Regional Health Centre as part of the first phase of a significant capital project that will expand the site.

“Manitoba is committed to strengthening health care by investing in bringing care closer to home and improving patient care for all Manitobans now and into the future,” said Health Minister Audrey Gordon. “The start of construction at Bethesda Regional Health Centre brings us one day closer to reducing the need for those living in or near Manitoba’s third largest city to travel elsewhere for care while providing the site with the necessary capacity to continue growing in the years ahead.”

Construction and renovations launched today mark an investment of at least $32 million, including:

  • providing space for 15 additional acute-care medicine beds and eight surgical beds, enabling the site to support additional surgical capacity in targeted areas;
  • investing in the treatment of patients for a wide variety of needs, including palliative and end-of-life care, chronic and cardiopulmonary disease and women’s health; and
  • pharmacy upgrades that support the delivery of chemotherapy services and establish Bethesda as a regional hub for cancer services.

“Ensuring Bethesda Regional Health Centre can meet the needs of a growing population well into the future is vitally important for both the people who call this city and surrounding area home as well as for the health region as a whole,” said Jane Curtis, CEO, Southern Health-Santé Sud. “We are thrilled to see construction begin on a project that will support more care closer to home for the people who live in or near the city of Steinbach, with expanded acute-care inpatient capacity and the establishment of renal services.”

The new renal services at Bethesda follow a feasibility study and review that looked at the number and frequency of patients travelling outside the community for dialysis treatment. There are currently 23 hemodialysis patients living in the province’s southeast catchment area who could benefit from the new, six-station unit at Bethesda, the minister said.

“Providing kidney dialysis services in Steinbach will significantly improve quality of life for patients receiving this life-saving treatment, said Dr. Mauro Verrelli, medical director, Manitoba Renal Program. “It will eliminate their need to travel to other cities multiple times per week to receive dialysis, saving them time and energy, and keep them close to the network of family and friends they rely upon for support.”

This project is part of a historic capital investment of at least $812 million in building, expanding and renovating health-care facilities across the province as part of Manitoba’s Clinical and Preventive Services Plan. Other capital projects announced include:

  • expansion and renovation of the Brandon Regional Health Centre and Western Manitoba Cancer Centre;
  • construction of a new hospital in Portage la Prairie;
  • construction of a new hospital in Neepawa;
  • expansion of Boundary Trails Health Centre in Winkler/Morden;
  • expansion of the Selkirk Regional Health Centre;
  • renovations at Dauphin Regional Health Centre; andexpansion of Lakeshore General Hospital in Ashern.

The new dialysis unit at Bethesda is expected to come into service as soon as next summer, Gordon said. Construction on the overall project is expected to be complete by 2025, she added.