Overview
- The five-day drive running Oct 20–24 schedules about 1,000 laparoscopic gallbladder removals across the public system.
- About 38 provincial hospitals are extending operating hours with evening shifts to increase surgical throughput.
- Health authorities say focusing on biliary lithiasis targets a frequent cause of emergency visits and aims to prevent complications.
- The rollout coincides with the final week before the Oct 26 legislative elections, and a provincial spokesperson said it was planned over three months and denied electoral motives.
- Provincial figures cite 168,000 surgeries last year in provincial hospitals, or 332,000 including municipal facilities, to contextualize the effort.