Despite a massive infusion of federal spending on health care, waiting lists in Canada have grown significantly. Total waiting time for patients between referral from a general practitioner and treatment, averaged across all 12 specialties and 10 provinces surveyed, rose from 13.1 weeks in 1999 to 16.2 weeks in 2000-01 (a 23.7 percent increase), according to a Fraser Institute study.
Canada-wide, total waiting time increased significantly in 2000-01 and its level is high, both historically and internationally. Compared to 1993, waiting time in 2000-01 is 69 percent higher. Moreover, academic studies of waiting time have found that Canadians wait longer than Americans and Germans for cardiac care, although not as long as New Zealanders or the British.
Among the significant findings of the study:
The highest percentage of patients seeking treatment outside of Canada were those in need of radiation oncology (5.6 percent). For all specialties, 1.7 percent of patients left the country to receive treatment.
Source: Michael Walker and Greg Wilson, Waiting Your Turn: Hospital Waiting Lists in Canada, Critical Issues Bulletin, September 2001, Fraser Institute, 4th Floor 1770 Burrard Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 3G7, Canada, (604) 688-0221.
For text:http://www.fraserinstitute.ca/publications/critical_issues/2001/wyt/index.html
For more on Canadian Health Care http://www.ncpa.org/pi/health/hedex10c.html
FMF\9 October 2001
