Canadian patients faced an average wait of 28.6 weeks from family doctor referral to treatment this year, the second-longest wait in more than three decades, according to a new study.
The study, released on Dec. 9 by the Fraser Institute, collected data from physicians nationwide across 12 medical specialties, including several types of surgeries. It found that the median wait time for Canadian patients this year fell by 1.4 weeks from last year’s 30-week average but remains above pre-pandemic levels.
“Long wait times can result in increased suffering for patients, lost productivity at work, decreased quality of life, and in the worst cases, disability or death,” said Mackenzie Moir, senior policy analyst and co author of the report….