The health care system in Ontario has been hit hard over the past few years with the pandemic, staff shortages and overcrowded emergency departments. All of these factors have been significantly increasing wait times for ER visits, x-rays, ultrasounds and surgeries.
According to a recent report by the Fraser Institute, Canadians are having to wait longer than ever to receive medical attention and Cambridge is no exception.
V. Durai lives in Cambridge and is experiencing the long journey it takes to get a non-emergency surgery in Ontario.
Durai's wife Jaish started to feel a pain in her arm and her shoulder. After several x-rays and MRIs were taken it has revealed she had a serious case of tendonitis.
“There was a thin rim of fluid along the bicep's tendon,” said Durai. “The hand pain steadily began to get worse every day. Two months have passed, but the pain has not reduced.”
At the end of November, the Durais visited Cambridge Memorial Hospital for more tests. After a 16 hour wait, they were told by the emergency surgeon they would have to set up an appointment with an orthopedic specialist and wait.
It has been over six weeks and the couple still has not received notice of when their appointment will be.
The Fraser institute’s survey consulted physicians across Canada to determine how long people are having to wait to receive surgeries.
“The Study reports a median wait time of 27.4 weeks—the longest ever recorded, longer than the wait of 25.6 weeks reported in 2021—and 195 per cent higher than the 9.3 weeks Canadians waited in 1993, when the Fraser Institute began tracking wait times,” said the report.
Spokesperson for CMH, Stephan Beckhoff confirms this extended period of wait times and Cambridge is experiencing an average of 29.8 weeks for a surgery; the provincial average is 20.3 weeks.
At the Cambridge hospital there is a large range of surgery wait times, as oncology surgery, removal of tumours, can take four weeks while ophthalmic surgery, eye procedures like cataract removal, can take 64 weeks.
Beckhoff explains these wait times have been exacerbated by the pandemic and staffing issues.
While more surgeries are getting done this year as opposed to last, 4,632 in 2022 and 2,770 in 2021, operating rooms are still not functioning at 100 per cent.
“All urgent and emergency surgeries are done almost right away; think accidents, urgent cancer, etc.,” he added.
According to the study, physicians are reporting that patients are waiting over six weeks longer for treatment than what they consider to be clinically reasonable.
“Excessively long wait times remain a defining characteristic of Canada’s health-care system” said Mackenzie Moir, Fraser Institute policy analyst. “They aren’t simply minor inconveniences, they can result in increased suffering for patients, lost productivity at work, a decreased quality of life, and in the worst cases, disability or death.”
In the Durai's case, they are requiring an orthopedic surgeon and CMH is estimating it will take over 40 weeks from the time a decision has been made to when Jaish will actually be able to receive the treatment.
As of Wednesday, the Durais are still waiting to hear when their appointment with the specialists will be. They are now asking themselves, how long is she supposed to be in pain before she can see someone?
CMH like many hospitals around the country are trying to find ways to improve on this trend and have been sending patients to out of hospital surgeons to help relive some of the stress at the health care facilities.
"Some of the strategies in place are two collaborative partnerships that moves some cataracts and endoscopies into the community, helping us reduce those case loads," said Beckhoff.
Meantime, Jaish's pain is getting worse every, forcing the couple to seek alternative care providers like physiotherapy, despite it not being the solution they need.
"Since the waiting time is more, we decided to take physiotherapy sessions for the relief. I know it's not a permanent solution, but for time being there is no better option for us," Durai said.
