Canadian patients waited longer than ever this year for medical treatment, according to a study done by the Fraser Institute. .“The results of this year’s survey indicate that COVID-19 and related hospital closures have exacerbated, but are not the cause, of Canada’s historic wait times challenges,” said Fraser Institute Centre for Health Policy Studies Director and study co-author Bacchus Barua in a Thursday press release. .“Previous results revealed that patients waited an estimated 20.9 weeks for medically necessary elective care in 2019 — long before the pandemic started.”.The study — an annual survey of doctors across Canada — said the country has a median wait time of 27.4 weeks, longer than the wait of 25.6 weeks reported in 2021. It said this wait time is 195% higher than the 9.3 weeks recorded in 1993, when the Fraser Institute began tracking. .The study examined the total wait times faced by patients across 12 medical specialties from referral by a doctor to when they receive treatment. .The province with the longest wait time was Prince Edward Island at 64.7 weeks. This is up from 41.6 weeks in 2021. .The province coming in second place was Nova Scotia (58.2 weeks). This was followed by New Brunswick (43.3), Manitoba (41.3), and Alberta (33.3). .Ontario had the shortest wait times out of every province (20.3). This is up from 18.5 weeks in 2021. .Among the various specialities, the study said national wait times were the longest between a referral by a doctor and neurosurgical procedures (58.9) and shortest for radiation treatments (3.9). .The study went on to say patients experience significant waiting times for diagnostic technologies. It added Canadians waited 10.6 weeks for an MRI scan, 5.4 weeks for a CT scan, and 4.9 weeks for an ultrasound. .Doctors reported their patients are waiting more than six weeks longer for treatment than what they consider to be reasonable. .“Excessively long wait times remain a defining characteristic of Canada’s healthcare system” said Fraser Institute policy analyst and study co-author Mackenzie Moir. .“And they 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.”.The majority of Canadians want to see changes made to the country’s healthcare system, according to an October poll by Leger for SecondStreet.org. .READ MORE: Poll finds most Canadians support healthcare reform.The poll said 72% of Canadians support copying a European Union policy called the Cross Border Directive. This policy would give patients the right to visit public or private health facilities outside their province, pay for surgery, and be reimbursed by their provincial government. .The poll said 64% of people support governments hiring private clinics to reduce surgical backlogs. Despite concerns raised by government employee unions, it said 20% oppose this option.
