Health minister Gaetan Barrette announced on Monday that he'll be setting aside money in an effort to cut long wait times for surgery in the province.
Barrette says $20 million will be made available to fund 18 new hospital operating rooms in the province — something he says will mean an extra 22,450 surgical procedures can be performed every year.
There will be two more operating rooms at the MUHC, and three more each at the Jewish General Hospital and the CHUM hospital.
"We are bringing a concrete solution to significantly reduce wait times and to guarantee a better access to surgeries for Quebecers — all while maintaining the highest level of quality care," Barrette says.
About 96,000 people are currently waiting for surgical procedures in Quebec, including about 1,000 who've been on the waiting list for more than a year.
Barrette spoke at the Jewish General Hospital on Monday afternoon — a place he referred to as one of the best-performing hospitals in the province.