The Manitoba government says investments in endoscopy services are helping reduce wait times while increasing access to procedures that can detect cancer and other serious illnesses.

The province says more than 50,000 endoscopy procedures have been performed annually since 2023-24, with the wait list dropping from more than 11,400 patients in 2022 to fewer than 1,700 as of last month.

The median wait for non-urgent procedures has also fallen from 233 days to 69 days.

The government says expanded capacity at hospitals and clinics across Manitoba has helped deliver thousands of additional procedures while easing pressure on emergency departments.