B.C. patients wait more than 26 weeks for medical care.
New report shows wait times have increased for fifth year in a row.
People in B.C. wait an average of more than 26 weeks for medical treatment, continuing an upwards trend in the healthcare system, according to a Fraser Institute report.
The think tank released its latest study on wait times Thursday, saying the median wait times across the country this year was 21.2 weeks – the longest ever recorded in its two decades of tracking.
For the 5th year B.C. saw an increase in wait times and is still higher than the national median of 26.2 weeks.
New Brunswick saw the longest average at almost 42 weeks, while Ontario boasts the shortest of 15.
Among the various specialties, national wait times were longest for orthopaedic surgery at 41.7 weeks, and neurosurgery at 32.9 weeks. The shortest wait for a patient was for medical oncology, at about three weeks.