Long waitlists for surgery and medical treatment cost Canadians $3.5 billion in lost wages and productivity in 2023, a recently published study suggests.
Approximately 1.2 million patients were left waiting for essential medical treatment last year, and each lost an average of $2,871 in wages and reduced productivity during working hours, according to the Fraser Institute.
“Waiting for medically necessary treatment remains a hallmark of the Canadian health-care system, and in addition to increased pain and suffering—and potentially worse medical outcomes—these long waits also cost Canadians time at work and with family and friends,” Fraser Institute senior fellow Nadeem Esmail said in a press release.
The $3.5 billion in lost wages is “likely a conservative estimate,” authors said, because it doesn’t take into account the additional 14.6-week wait to see a specialist after being referred by a general practitioner.
When added together, the average wait time in Canada came in at 27.7 weeks in 2023 with a per-patient wait cost of $3,343.
The wait time and subsequent cost per patient vary from province to province, however.
Prince Edward Island had the highest per-patient cost of waiting at $4,805, followed by New Brunswick at $4,800, and Nova Scotia at $4,683. Newfoundland and Labrador was the only Atlantic province with a cost lower than the average, coming in at $1,915.
The per-patient cost of waiting in Saskatchewan was $4,033 while the cost in Alberta was $3,470. The cost in British Columbia came in at $2,963, followed by $2,828 in Quebec, $2,277 in Manitoba, and $1,660 in Ontario.
“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,” Fraser Institute senior policy analyst Mackenzie Moir said.
If the study were to take into account the total time individuals spend waiting in a reduced capacity outside of the work week, the cost per person would be far higher, the authors noted.
Valuing hours outside of work, excluding eight hours of sleep per night, would increase the estimated cost of waiting to $10.6 billion, or about $8,730 per person.
The amount would rise again if the costs of care provided by family members were also factored in, the study noted. The authors noted that time spent caring for the individual waiting for treatment can take a toll on caregivers not only financially, but can result in loss of productivity due to mental anguish.
