Residents of the Interlake region are gaining faster access to medical care with the expansion of hip and knee replacement services at the Selkirk Regional Health Centre in Manitoba.
The provincial government is increasing surgical capacity by adding 800 hip and knee procedures annually through an increase in investment. This funding, which covers expanded operating space and new staffing, allows more patients to receive care closer to home rather than traveling to Winnipeg. To support this growth, the Shared Health authority recruited two surgeons and one anesthesiologist to join the team at the hospital.
The surgical initiative launched in March 2025. By December 2025, medical teams had completed 591 joint replacement surgeries, keeping the program on pace to hit the 800-procedure goal by the end of the fiscal year in March 2026. These efforts are part of a broader provincial effort that saw a record 7,056 joint replacement procedures performed across Manitoba throughout 2025.
Manitoba Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara stated that the program prioritizes patients who have been waiting the longest, with the goal of helping families lead more active lives and reducing wait times for surgery. Building on this momentum, the 2026 provincial budget announced on March 24, 2026, includes additional funding to perform another 200 hip and knee surgeries at the Selkirk facility.