Manitoba's Southern Health region set to see hospital expansion

Portage la Prarie—Manitoba’s government announced plans for a new hospital to serve Portage la Prairie and other Southern Health–Santé Sud communities.

 “This significant investment for a new facility will not only replace the existing hospital with a modern facility, it will also offer new and additional services for Manitobans who live and work in these growing communities, reducing the need for many patients, and their families, to travel for healthcare,” said Premier Brian Pallister, in a press release.

The investment of $283 million will see a two-storey hospital replace the current facility, doubling its size. It is to feature at least 90 acute care inpatient beds; higher day surgery capacity to mitigate the need to for patients to travel to larger city centres; an expanded ED including assessment rooms, a trauma room, stretcher bay and ambulance bay; more programs, including diagnostics, dialysis, palliative care and various outpatient services like  lab and rehabilitation.

“The new Portage District General Hospital will be bigger and better, providing the community and the region with a modern facility and access to many services that previously may have required multiple trips to Winnipeg or Brandon,” said Dale Lyle, board chair, Portage Hospital Foundation. “Today’s announcement will support the delivery of health-care services closer to home for patients in a rapidly growing area of our province.”

Southern Health–Santé Sud is Manitoba’s fastest growing health region, with a population that’s grown by 14,000 in the past five years to reach about 212,000.