Close X
Monday, December 2, 2024
ADVT 
Interesting

Median Wait Time For Patients To Get Treatment Up To 20 Weeks

Darpan News Desk, 23 Nov, 2016 10:30 AM
    TORONTO — A new report by the Fraser Institute says Canadians had a median wait time of 20 weeks this year for medical treatment — the longest yet recorded by the independent public-policy think tank.
     
    The Fraser Institute says that 20-week wait time is double what Canadians experienced in 1993, when the organization began tracking delays for medically necessary elective treatments. 
     
    The study is based on a national survey of doctors and looks at total wait times across 12 specialties, from referral by a general practitioner, to consultation with a specialist, and then to the point of treatment.
     
    Ontario recorded the shortest wait time at 15.6 weeks, up from just over 14 weeks in 2015, while New Brunswick recorded the longest wait time at almost 39 weeks.
     
    For the fourth year in a row, British Columbia recorded an increase in wait times with the median now sitting at 25.2 weeks — the longest ever measured in that province.
     
     
    Among the various specialties, national wait times were longest for neurosurgery at almost 47 weeks and shortest for medical oncology at just under four weeks.
     
    "Excessively long wait times remain a defining characteristic of Canada's health-care system, but this year is the longest we've ever seen and that should trouble all Canadians," Bacchus Barua, senior economist for health-care studies at the Fraser Institute, said in a statement.
     
    It's estimated that Canadians are currently waiting for nearly one million medically necessary procedures. Physicians report that their patients are waiting more than three weeks longer for treatment, after seeing a specialist, than what they consider to be clinically reasonable, the report says.
     
    "Long wait times aren't simply minor inconveniences, they can result in increased suffering for patients, lost productivity at work, a decreased quality of life, and in the worst cases, disability or death," Barua said.
     
     
    "The experiences of other countries prove that long waits for treatment aren't a necessary byproduct of a universal health-care system," he said. "It's time for policy makers to consider reforming the outdated policies that contribute to long wait times in Canada."

    MORE Interesting ARTICLES

    Pakistan Gang Rape Survivor Mukhtaran Mai Walks The Ramp

    Pakistan Gang Rape Survivor Mukhtaran Mai Walks The Ramp
    Mukhtaran Mai, the gang rape survivor of Pakistan who works towards bettering the lives of women in her village, walked the ramp for a fashion week in Karachi.

    Pakistan Gang Rape Survivor Mukhtaran Mai Walks The Ramp

    In Dubai, A Showdown On Shawarma Is Reportedly Coming

    In Dubai, A Showdown On Shawarma Is Reportedly Coming
    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A showdown over shawarma has come to Dubai.

    In Dubai, A Showdown On Shawarma Is Reportedly Coming

    Obama Reveals Private Living Areas Of White House

    Obama Reveals Private Living Areas Of White House
    WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama likes to say the White House is the "people's house." Now, the people are getting a look at the rooms where he lives.

    Obama Reveals Private Living Areas Of White House

    Sher Vancouver Founder, Alex Sangha, Makes Appeal To South Asian And Broader Community To Support

    Sher Vancouver Founder, Alex Sangha, Makes Appeal To South Asian And Broader Community To Support
    I am writing directly to you to appeal for your support as one of our very own Sher Vancouver members is in dire need of help.

    Sher Vancouver Founder, Alex Sangha, Makes Appeal To South Asian And Broader Community To Support

    Indo-Canadian Siblings Spend Night In Dracula's Transylvanian Castle

    Indo-Canadian Siblings Spend Night In Dracula's Transylvanian Castle
      This is the first time in 70 years for anyone to spend the night in the 14th century castle.

    Indo-Canadian Siblings Spend Night In Dracula's Transylvanian Castle

    Indian-Origin Teen Arrested In US For Choking 911 Lines

    Indian-Origin Teen Arrested In US For Choking 911 Lines
    An Indian-origin youth has been charged with three counts of computer tampering after "accidentally" swamping US state of Arizona's emergency services with thousands of bogus 911 telephone calls.

    Indian-Origin Teen Arrested In US For Choking 911 Lines