Surgical, diagnostic backlogs will only worsen without funding: Canadian Medical Association
Posted October 27, 2020 7:44 am.
Last Updated October 27, 2020 7:46 am.
Without immediate government funding, the Canadian Medical Association said ongoing surgical and diagnostic backlogs will only worsen.
The CMA said it would take an additional $1.3 billion to tackle these delays, which have been building since the first wave, when they were deemed non-essential during the pandemic.
Among the most commonly delayed procedures — CT and MRI scans, hip and knee replacements, and cataract surgeries.
RELATED: Advanced cancers rising months after shutdown of non-urgent healthcare services
The president of the association said the impact on wait times is going to be the worst-ever and wants the federal and provincial governments to come up with a plan to restore backlogs to pre-pandemic levels in one year.
It estimates nearly 308,000 procedures would need to be performed over a 12-month period to clear the backlog — a 6.1 per cent increase compared to what would have been expected over the course of a year.
