Wait time for medical treatment in Canada—how serious is the problem?

Serious enough, evidently, to get the attention of the leadership of the Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian government. The other day I linked, via Dr. Helen, to a documentary film about Canada’s health care system. The film takes a negative view of Canadian health care delivery and focuses on the long wait times (sometimes years) for various medical procedures. But the issue is controversial as exemplified by the more than 70 comments to Dr. Helen’s post.

So this news item in the Canadian Medical Association Journal proves timely. It reports that government leaders, under pressure from physician groups, are trying to determine just how long is too long to wait for medical care, and set national standards. But some physicians seem concerned that government officials, who want to base the standards on evidence, may be dragging their feet. For comprehensive standards on wait times patients may again have to wait---perhaps as long as five years according to one official.