Canadians are now waiting longer than ever before if they need to see a specialist, obtain diagnostic procedures, or undergo surgery, according to a new survey.
This year, an estimated 1,228,047 Canadians are waiting for procedures in 10 provinces. This is roughly 3.2 percent of the country’s population, assuming each person is only waiting for one medical treatment.
The Fraser Institute says that in the nearly 30 years it has been documenting how long it takes for patients to receive necessary medical treatment, this year’s wait time of 27.4 weeks is the longest.
‘Serious Consequences’
The think tank’s 2022 report found that the wait time this year is 195 percent longer than the median waiting time of 9.3 weeks in 1993, longer than the wait time of 25.6 weeks in 2021, and longer than the wait time of 20.9 weeks in 2019, the year before COVID….