Surgery wait times cost Canadians $2.1B in lost wages: report

BRITISH COLUMBIA (NEWS 1130) – A report from the Fraser Institute is out with a warning that waits for medically necessary treatment resulted in $2.1 billion in lost wages for Canadians last year.

According to the study, the estimated 1,082,541 patients who waited for medically necessary treatment last year each lost $1,924 on average due to lost wages and reduced productivity during working hours.

RELATED: ‘We want to make progress together’: Health Minister on surgical wait times study

The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) says, nationally, wait times for joint replacements and cataract surgery are growing in much of Canada.

It’s latest report found 30 per cent of patients needing those procedures did not get them within the recommended times.

However, the group says wait times for some procedures have actually been dropping in B.C., with the number of people getting knee surgeries within six months actually improved by five per cent since 2016.

RELATED: Province announces $175M to reduce surgical wait times

Nationally, the CIHI finds nearly a third of patients waiting for those procedures last year did not receive them within the recommended time frame.

When it comes to more urgent procedures, the report suggests a majority of Canadians get timely treatment.

 

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