Hi Group

Just now I was reading a medical treatment based NG where some posters were saying that getting an appointment with medical specialists in Canada takes a looong time coz of the long waiting lines. This causes me some concern coz I might have to see a specialist from time to time. Can some one pls tell me what is the situation like to see specialists especially in Toronto coz thts where I will be moving to.

thanks for all your help

cheers...rsk

According to a survey by the frasier institute October 21, 2003 , here is what they had to say about seeing a specialist :

Canadians are waiting an average of almost 18 weeks to receive surgical or therapeutic services, up 7.3% from a year ago, the Fraser Institute reports.

In survey results released today, the conservative think-tank says Canadians wait longer than Americans and Germans. The report, Waiting Your Turn: Hospital Waiting Lists in Canada, also notes that they do not wait as long as New Zealanders or the British.

The institute's 13th annual survey found that Canadian patients waited an average of 17.7 weeks from the time they were referred by a family physician to follow-up treatment by a specialist. In 2001/02, they waited 16.5 weeks.

The survey involved mailed responses from 2817 of 9093 medical and surgical specialists surveyed (30.9%). In 92% of cases, they reported, the length of time patients waited for treatment was not clinically "reasonable."

Waiting times have nearly doubled over the past decade, said John Graham, the institute's director of health and pharmaceutical policy research. The institute says the amount of private care should be increased to reduce waiting times.

Waiting times decreased in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, but rose elsewhere. Ontario had the shortest total wait in 2003 (14.3 weeks), followed by Manitoba (15.1) and BC (17.6). Saskatchewan residents had the longest wait (29.9 weeks), followed by Newfoundland (21.8) and New Brunswick (21.1).

The shortest FP-to-specialist waiting times were for radiation oncology (2.1 weeks), cardiovascular surgery (3.4 weeks), and medical oncology (3.5 weeks). The longest waits were for ophthalmologic treatment (13.9 weeks), orthopedic surgery (13.3) and neurosurgery (12.4). Overall, the waiting time to see a specialist was 8.3 weeks, up from 7.3 weeks in 2001/02.

The length of time patients waited after seeing a specialist until they received treatment increased from 9.2 to 9.5 weeks in the past year. The shortest waiting times were for urgent cardiovascular surgery (2.1 weeks), medical oncology (2.6) and internal medicine and urology (5.7). The longest waits were for orthopedic surgery (18.9 weeks), plastic surgery (17) and ophthalmology (16).

http://www.fraserinstitute.ca/

mick

Thanks for the information Mick.

cheers...rsk