More than 1.2 million Canadians left an emergency room last year without receiving treatment, according to a new report.
Canada documented 16.3 million visits to emergency rooms in 2024, with 1,267,736—or 7.8 percent—of patients not receiving treatment, said the report published this month by public policy think tank MEI.
The highest rate of patients exiting emergency rooms without treatment was observed in Prince Edward Island, at 14.15 percent, according to the report. Next was Manitoba, with a rate of 13.23 percent, followed by New Brunswick, with a rate of 12.85 percent.
Ontario recorded the smallest percentage of patients departing prior to receiving treatment at 4.92 percent of the estimated 5.9 million who visited an emergency room last year. This was followed by British Columbia at 5.47 percent, and Alberta at 8.77 percent….