More than 1.2 million Canadians spent time on a waitlist for medically necessary care in 2020, according to a new report from the Fraser Institute.
The estimated cost of this queue? About $2.8 billion in lost wages and productivity, or an average of $2,254 per individual waiting for care. And that is a conservative estimate — the number jumps to almost $8.4 billion, or about $6,838 per person, if you value all hours of the week, including evenings and weekends but excluding eight hours of sleep per night.
The Private Cost of Public Queues for Medically Necessary Care, 2021 is authored by Mackenzie Moir and Bacchus Barua and showcases the often hidden costs associated with our public health system.
“Health-care workers across Canada should be commended for the superb job they’re doing to get us through this global pandemic. However, while we are constantly reminded of the consequences of COVID-19, less discussed are the consequences of unreasonable waits for surgery which can range from physical pain and psychological distress for some, to permanent disability and death for others,” said Bacchus Barua, associate director of health policy studies at the Fraser Institute.
The total median wait time in Canada for medical treatment was 22.6 weeks in 2020 — the longest in the survey’s 30-year history.
