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HALIFAX — The Nova Scotia government says it will spend $5 million to more than double the number of eye surgeries performed by a private company known as the Halifax Vision Surgical Centre. 

Nova Scotia Health issued a statement today saying that under the new agreement, the centre will perform up to 6,000 cataract surgeries next year, an increase of about 3,700 from this year.

The centre has been performing cataract surgeries for Nova Scotia Health since 2020, which has cost the province a total of $4.2 million.

The government says the surgeries will be available to patients at no cost and will be performed by the same surgeons who perform surgeries through Nova Scotia Health.

Health Minister Michelle Thompson says the expanded partnership will reduce wait times and free up operating room time for more complex eye surgeries at Nova Scotia Health's Eye Care Centre, which is part of the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax.

Established in 2004, the Halifax Vision Surgical Centre was the first privately owned surgical clinic in Halifax to perform cataract surgeries outside of a hospital setting. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2022.

The Canadian Press