Canadian Healthcare Technology Logo
  • Issues
    • Current Print Issue
    • Print Archive
  • Advertise
    • Publishing Schedule
    • Circulation
    • Unit Sizes and Rates
    • Mechanical Requirements
    • Electronic Advertising
    • White Papers
  • Subscribe
    • Print Edition
    • e-Messenger
    • White Papers
  • Events
  • Vendors
  • About Us

GE Revolution Ascend

GE Revolution Ascend

Enovacom EPC

Enovacom EPC

Performance & Quality

Wait times hit 23-year high, Fraser Institute says

November 30, 2016


bacchus-baruaVANCOUVER – Canadian patients waited longer than ever this year for medical treatment, finds a new study released by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

The study, an annual survey of physicians from across Canada, reports a median wait time of 20 weeks – the longest ever recorded – and more than double the 9.3 weeks Canadians waited in 1993, when the Fraser Institute began tracking wait times for medically necessary elective treatments.

Before this year, the longest recorded median wait time was 19 weeks in 2011. “Excessively long wait times remain a defining characteristic of Canada’s healthcare system, but this year is the longest we’ve ever seen and that should trouble all Canadians,” said Bacchus Barua (pictured), senior economist for healthcare studies at the Fraser Institute and co-author of Waiting Your Turn: Wait Times for Health Care in Canada, 2016.

The study examines the total wait time faced by patients across 12 medical specialties from referral by a general practitioner (i.e. family doctor) to consultation with a specialist, to when the patient ultimately receives treatment.

Among the provinces, Ontario recorded the shortest wait time at 15.6 weeks – up from 14.2 weeks in 2015.

New Brunswick recorded the longest wait time (38.8 weeks) in Canada.

For the fourth year in a row, British Columbia recorded an increase in wait times with the median now sitting at 25.2 weeks – the longest ever measured in the province.

Among the various specialties, national wait times were longest for neurosurgery (46.9 weeks) and shortest for medical oncology (3.7 weeks).

It’s estimated that Canadians are currently waiting for nearly one million medically necessary procedures. Crucially, physicians report that their patients are waiting more than three weeks longer for treatment (after seeing a specialist) than what they consider to be clinically reasonable.

“Long wait times aren’t simply minor inconveniences, they can result in increased suffering for patients, lost productivity at work, a decreased quality of life, and in the worst cases, disability or death,” Barua said. “The experiences of other countries prove that long waits for treatment aren’t a necessary by-product of a universal healthcare system.

“It’s time for policymakers to consider reforming the outdated policies that contribute to long wait times in Canada,” Barua said.

For more information, see www.fraserinstitute.org/

PreviousNext

WP 900×150

WP 900x150

News and Trends

  • RACE streamlines patient journey
  • Healthcare supply chain needs a re-think, observers say
  • EDI spots pricing anomalies in Ontario’s healthcare supply chain
  • AI centres of excellence and companies collaborate on apps
  • Talking Stick: New hope for Indigenous mental healthcare
More from the Print Edition

Subscribe

Subscribe

Free of charge to Canadian hospital managers and executives in nursing homes and home-care organizations. Learn More

Follow us on Social Media!

Follow us on Social Media!

CAN Health Network

CAN Health Network

Nihi Data [Winter 2023]

Nihi Data [Winter 2023]

Advertise with us

Advertise with us

Sectra One Cloud

Sectra One Cloud

Change Healthcare [2]

Change Healthcare [2]

Infoway [Feb2023]

Infoway [Feb2023]

CHT print-200×400

CHT print-200x400

WP 900×150

WP 900x150

Advertise with us

Advertise with us

Sectra One Cloud

Sectra One Cloud

Change Healthcare [2]

Change Healthcare [2]

Infoway [Feb2023]

Infoway [Feb2023]

CHT print-200×400

CHT print-200x400

Contact Us

Canadian Healthcare Technology
1118 Centre Street, Suite 207
Thornhill, Ontario, Canada L4J 7R9
Tel: 905-709-2330
Fax: 905-709-2258
info2@canhealth.com

  • Quick Links
    • Current Print Issue
    • Print Archive
    • Events
    • Vendors
    • About Us
  • Advertise
    • Publishing Schedule
    • Circulation
    • Unit Sizes and Rates
    • Mechanical Requirements
    • Electronic Advertising
    • White Papers
  • Subscribe
    • Print Edition
    • e-Messenger
    • White Papers
  • Resources
    • White Papers
    • Writers’ Guidelines
    • Privacy Policy
  • Topics
    • Administrative Solutions
    • Clinical Solutions
    • Companies
    • Continuing Care
    • Diagnostics
    • Education & Training
  •  
    • Electronic Records
    • Government & Policy
    • Infrastructure
    • Innovation
    • People
    • Privacy and Security

© 2023 Canadian Healthcare Technology

The content of Canadian Healthcare Technology is subject to copyright. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior written permission is strictly prohibited. Send all requests for permission to Jerry Zeidenberg, Publisher.

Search Site

Error: Enter a search term

  • Issues
    • Current Print Issue
    • Print Archive
  • Advertise
    • Publishing Schedule
    • Circulation
    • Unit Sizes and Rates
    • Mechanical Requirements
    • Electronic Advertising
    • White Papers
  • Subscribe
    • Print Edition
    • e-Messenger
    • White Papers
  • Events
  • Vendors
  • About Us