A new study by the Fraser Institute found Canadians lost almost $3.6 billion in wages and productivity last year due to long wait times for surgery and medical treatments..Preliminary data showed around 1.2 million patients had to wait for essential medical treatment last year..On average, each patient lost about $2,925 in wages and productivity during work hours due to the long wait times..“Waiting for medically necessary treatment remains a hallmark of the Canadian healthcare system, and in addition to increased pain and suffering — and potentially worse medical outcomes — these long waits also cost Canadians time at work and with family and friends,” said Bacchus Barua, director of health policy studies at the Fraser Institute and co-author of The Private Cost of Public Queues for Medically Necessary Care, 2023..The Fraser Institute used information from its yearly Waiting Your Turn survey of Canadian doctors to conduct this study..The survey, conducted in 2022, showed the average wait time from a specialist appointment to treatment in Canada was 14.8 weeks..The $3.6 billion lost in wages and productivity is likely a conservative estimate because it does not include the additional 12.6-week wait time to see a specialist after being referred by a general practitioner..When adding the wait time to see a specialist after a referral (12.6 weeks) to the time between the specialist appointment and treatment (14.8 weeks), Canada’s median medical treatment time was 27.4 weeks in 2022..That's the longest wait time recorded in the history of the survey..“As long as lengthy wait times define Canada’s healthcare system, patients will continue to pay a price in lost wages and reduced quality of life,” said Mackenzie Moir, Fraser Institute policy analyst and study co-author..The cost of waiting for healthcare varies by province, as wait times and incomes differ across Canada. In 2022, residents of Manitoba had the highest per-patient cost of waiting at $4,463, followed by Nova Scotia at $4,230 and New Brunswick at $3,691.. Fraser Costs per Province .The Fraser Institute is a Canadian public policy think tank.. Fraser Institute Private Cost of Public Queues 2023 Infographic
