By Rebel News | Created at 2024-10-29 22:30:32 | Updated at 2024-10-30 07:32:45
1 day ago
Canada’s health care system remains bogged down by stagnant waitlists, according to a new think tank report. As many as 5 million Canadians are waiting for surgeries, diagnostic testing, and specialist consultations.
SecondStreet figures show 1.5 million people are waiting for diagnostic support, another million are on hold to see a specialist, and more than 600,000 Canadians are awaiting surgery. Given several provinces had incomplete data, and the fact P.E.I. and Yukon provided no data at all, the 3.2 million person figure could be even higher.
Seven provinces reported no data on how many patients are waiting to see specialists.
“It’s amazing how many governments simply don’t know how many patients are waiting for surgery, to see a specialist or receive a diagnostic scan,” SecondStreet president Colin Craig told Rebel News.
The real total is likely closer to 5.1 million patients, according to the think tank.
“Government numbers suggest we’ve seen a bit of an improvement since coming out of the pandemic two years ago, but the numbers have been slow to move,” Craig said. Only Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan saw a drop in the number of patients waiting for surgery in comparison with 2022 data.
“Overall, our findings are just another example of why we need health reform,” Craig continued. He notes five policies from Europe that Canada could implement to reduce wait times.
First and foremost, provinces should better track and disclose data on patients that die each year due to long waiting lists in the healthcare system. “This would remove ambiguity around waiting list deaths while improving accountability,” reads a 2023 SecondStreet policy brief, Died on a Waiting List.
“We’re doing our part to track the data, but can governments really fix this problem if they don’t even care to understand it?” Craig asked.
Among other solutions include expanding healthcare choices and partnering with private care alternatives over bureaucracies.
In British Columbia, 98,042 patients were waiting for surgery, up 10.4% from 2022. Another 204,737 residents were waiting for diagnostic testing. There was no data on specialist waitlists available at the time of writing.
Meanwhile, Alberta reported 228,799 residents were waiting to see a specialist. Its surgery waitlist grew (4.3%) 78,525 patients year-over-year from March, as did the number of people waiting for diagnostic care (111,725).
The provincial government cautioned against comparisons with previous years, citing a larger pool of health providers, the report said.
Rebel attempted to reach the Ministry of Health for comment but did not hear back at publication.
In contrast, Quebec had a substantial drop in numbers waiting for diagnostic tests, down 42% to 404,226 patients. However, the province saw a 4% increase in those waiting to see a specialist (827,858), and a smaller increase (0.7%) in those waiting for surgery (161,760).
Ontario, a tale of two wait lists, successfully tackled surgical waitlists, down 19.3% to 185,081 but failed to address local concerns with accessing diagnostic testing.
New Brunswick reported a 2% increase in those waiting for surgery, while Newfoundland revealed a significant decline in residents on its diagnostic waitlist. No other data was available from either province.
Craig further said a waitlist analysis should become a national priority.
“It’s amazing how many health ministers in Canada don’t know how many patients are waiting for health services, particularly when it comes to appointments with specialists,” he said.
Alex Dhaliwal
Calgary Based Journalist
Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.
