At least 2.9 million Canadians are waiting for surgery, diagnostic scans, or specialist appointments, according to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests obtained by SecondStreet.org, a think tank. Not all provinces had data available, leading SecondStreet.org to suggest that the true total could be close to 4 million people on waiting lists.
Waiting lists are at historic highs, according to the Fraser Institute’s 2021 report, Waiting Your Turn: Wait Times for Health Care in Canada. The report said that the median wait time in 2021 was the longest recorded in the survey’s history. The figures were derived from surveying specialist physicians regarding wait times, with a median waiting time of 25.6 weeks between referral from a general practitioner and receipt of treatment. In 1993, the wait time was just 9.3 weeks, the report said. Patients who needed neurosurgical procedures waited the longest time for health care, at 49.2 weeks, while cancer patients requiring radiation typically waited 3.7 weeks, said the 2021 report….