Canadians waited, on average, 20.9 weeks for medically necessary treatment this year.
That’s the finding of the Fraser Institute which says it’s the second longest wait ever recorded since the public policy think tank started measuring wait times in 1993 when patients waited just 9.3 weeks.
”Policymakers in Ottawa and at the provincial level should review the outdated health policies that are contributing to long wait times,” Barua added.
Among provinces, Ontario has the shortest median wait time at 16.0 weeks.
Natinally, wait times were longest for orthopedic surgery (39.1 weeks) and plastic surgery (28.7 weeks) and shortest for medical oncology (4.4 weeks).
The Fraser Institute study looks at total wait times across 12 medical specialties from referral by a family doctor to consultation with a specialist, to when the patient actually receives treatment.