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Dear John,

Long waits for surgery and medical treatment cost Canadians almost $3.5 billion in lost wages and productivity last year.

This latest Fraser Institute study draws upon data from our annual Waiting Your Turn survey of Canadian physicians who, in 2023, reported the national median waiting time from specialist to appointment to treatment was 13.1 weeks.

The $3.5 billion in lost wages is likely a conservative estimate because it doesn’t account for the additional 14.6-week wait to see a specialist after receiving a referral from a general practitioner.

Taken together, the total median wait time in Canada for medical treatment was 27.7 weeks in 2023.

As long as lengthy wait times define Canada’s health-care system, patients will continue to pay a price in lost wages and reduced quality of life.

Check out the provincial breakdown here [[link removed]], and be sure to share it with your friends and colleagues.

Sincerely,

Niels Veldhuis

President

The Fraser Institute

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