Expanded surgical centre at London Health Sciences Centre will connect more people to procedures faster

The Voice of Canada News : The Ontario government is making it faster and easier for people in London and the surrounding area to connect to the surgeries and procedures they need by supporting the expansion of the Nazem Kadri Surgical Centre at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC).

“Our government continues to lead the country with the shortest surgical wait times of any province to ensure people have fast, convenient access to surgical procedures in their community,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “This expansion of the Nazem Kadri Surgical Centre at London Health Sciences Centre will reduce surgical wait times and connect even more people in the London area to the surgeries and procedures they need in a timely manner, for years to come.”

Through this investment, the Nazem Kadri Surgical Centre will be renovated and expanded to build four new operating rooms, bringing the total number to six, and create additional support spaces for patient preparation and recovery before and after surgery. This expansion will free up surgical capacity at London Health Sciences Centre for more intensive, higher-risk surgeries and reduce wait times for less complex and lower risk procedures, allowing people to receive the surgical care they need sooner.

As a next step, the ministry is working with London Health Sciences Centre to complete early planning and design for this project. Once future planning is complete and the project is tendered and awarded, a construction schedule will be confirmed.

Through Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the Ontario government is expanding and modernizing Ontario’s hospitals, making it faster and easier for people of all ages to connect to the high-quality care they need, where and when they need it.

Quick Facts

• LHSC’s Nazem Kadri Surgical Centre is an innovative off-campus ambulatory surgical centre located across from Victoria Hospital on Base Line Road East. The centre provides patients in need of non-urgent surgeries with an alternative operating location outside of the hospital. To date, more than 8,400 surgeries have been successfully completed at the centre.
• According to a report by the Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI), Ontario achieved the shortest surgical wait times of any province in Canada.
• Over the next 10 years, Ontario’s investments will lead to nearly $50 billion in health infrastructure across the province, building 3,000 new beds in addition to over 3,500 critical care, acute and post-acute beds our government has added since 2020.
• Through the Your Health plan, Ontario is getting shovels in the ground for over 50 hospital developments across the province.
• The Ontario government is investing more than $228 million this year to support critical infrastructure upgrades and repairs at 129 hospitals and 58 community health care facilities across the province, a 10 per cent increase from last year. This included over $5.1 million to London Health Sciences in 2024-25.

“This expansion marks a significant step forward in improving access to high-quality health care for the people of London and surrounding communities. By making surgical services more accessible, we will ensure that patients can access the care they need more quickly and closer to home.”- Rob Flack, MPP, Elgin—Middlesex—London

“The Nazem Kadri Surgical Centre is the first ambulatory surgical centre of its kind in Ontario. It has allowed LHSC to add needed surgical capacity by doing more surgeries at a reduced cost, all while ensuring a great patient experience. This investment by the Ford government will help create more capacity in not just the Surgical Centre, but in all of LHSC’s operating rooms, helping Ontarians receive their surgery sooner and in the best environment for the surgery they need.”– David Musyj, Supervisor, London Health Sciences Centre

“The story behind the Nazem Kadri Surgical Centre is one of innovation and teamwork. Through a thoughtful, deliberate approach, we’ve reevaluated every aspect of our surgical program to establish a new model of care that is helping patients receive surgery faster. This investment will help us build on our success and develop the operating capacity required over time to support the growing and aging population LHSC serves.”– Dr. Abdel-Rahman Lawendy, Medical Director, Nazem Kadri Surgical Centre, London Health Sciences Centre