From Susan Munroe,
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Additional Funds Needed to Reduce Wait Times

An alliance of Canadian medical organizations says an additional $3 billion over 5 years is needed from the federal and provincial governments to reduce wait times for key health care procedures in Canada. In its final report released in August 2005, the Wait Time Alliance for Timely Access to Health Care says the money is needed to address the need for health care professionals and to improve portability of health care so patients can get treatment outside their own region, province or outside Canada if necessary.

Priority Areas for Reduction of Wait Times

Long wait times for access to certain surgeries and diagnostic procedures have been a growing problem of the Canadian health care system.

In the 2004 "10-Year Plan to Strengthen Health Care," the federal and provincial governments in Canada agreed to develop benchmarks for wait times in five priority areas by the end of 2005 and to achieve significant reductions in wait times by March 31, 2007. The five priority areas are

cancer

heart

diagnostic imaging

joint replacements

sight restoration

Wait Time Alliance Recommendations

The Wait Time Alliance has provided a set of principles on the management of wait times and proposed benchmarks for wait times in the five priority areas identified by the federal and provincial governments. The Wait Time Alliance also says the government deadline of 2007 is too late, and it should be moved up a year to 2006.

The Wait Time Alliance wants Canadian governments to put more money into adding doctors and nurses to the Canadian health care system and to reimburse patients for costs when they must get health services out of the province or country.

The Wait Time Alliance is a group of national Canadian medical organizations including the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, the Canadian Ophthalmological Society and the Canadian Orthopaedic Association.

Provincial Health Care Wait Times

While governments, health care professionals and Canadians struggle with the problem of wait times, many provinces are making efforts to make more data on provincial wait times available to the public to use in making informed decisions on their health care.