The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is another step closer to getting a a full cardiovascular surgery program.
The Ford government has provided almost $700,000 towards the service.
The announcement was made at the hospital Tuesday afternoon by Northern Development Minister Greg Rickford.
“Our government is proud to invest in high-quality care closer to home for the people of Northwestern Ontario,” said Minister Rickford.
When it is fully operational the program will help up to 1,100 patients each year who would otherwise need to travel to southern Ontario for treatment.
A fundraising campaign by the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation has raised over $11.5-million of its $14-million goal so far.
The program itself would cost about $70 to $80 million to set up.
It is hoped construction can begin sometime within the next year and a half.
