Wait Statistics

Wait times are the number one barrier to proper health care in Canada, according to a recent Statistics Canada report.* The average wait for diagnostic testing is three weeks. For non-emergency surgery, the wait is four weeks. In Manitoba, the average wait to see a specialist is 4.3 weeks. In some cases, the wait times may be up to three months.

One to three months is too long. Yet some waits for diagnostic testing in Manitoba are even longer, and potentially life threatening. As of November 2006, the average wait time for a CT/CAT scan was 10 weeks. In 10 weeks**, medical conditions can worsen. Long waits can heighten anxiety, further weaken immune systems, accelerate the progress of a disease and further strain an already overtaxed health care system.

* Catalogue no. 82-575, released January 31, 2006
** Manitoba Wait Time Information, Manitoba Health
http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/waitlist/diagnostic/ctcat.html