Canada's health care system collapsing as surgeries rise but patients suffer longer waits and deadly delays
What do waiting for joint replacements, vision blurring behind cataracts, and anxiously waiting for radiation therapy have in common? They're all stories in Canada's healthcare struggle, as revealed in a new June 12 report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).
Canada performed 26 percent more hip replacements, 21 percent more knee replacements, 11 percent more cataract surgeries, 7 percent more
cancer
surgeries, and delivered 16 percent more MRIs and CT scans between 2019 and 2024,
But under the surface, deeper problems persist. A shrinking share of patients received care within national time benchmarks: only 68 percent of hip replacements and 61 percent of knee replacements were done within the 26-week target, down from 75 percent and 70 percent in 2019.
Radiation therapy within the 28-day goal dropped from 97 percent to 94 percent, and urgent hip‑fracture repairs within 48 hours fell from 86 percent to 83 percent.
Most alarming, median waits for prostate cancer surgery increased by nine days, to 50 days; other cancers rose by one to five days.
Live Events
CIHI and experts point to several root causes: 'Health systems are managing multiple challenges, including an aging and growing population, rising demand for procedures, and health workforce shortages,' CIHI noted in a release. 'More scheduled procedures are being performed to meet growing demand.'
Canada's aging population
Those 65+ grew 19 percent faster than the overall population in five years, combined with workforce shortages. Anesthesiologists are up just 6 percent, orthopedic surgeons only 3.5 percent, while demands soar. Hospitals also juggle crowded ORs, stretched beds, and emergency cases.
Dr. James Howard, chief of orthopedics at London Health Sciences Centre, warns that patients now arrive 'later… with more complex problems,' a factor that drags on wait times.
What can be done?
CIHI suggests concrete steps: centralized booking systems, better wait-list triage, and shifting low-risk surgeries to outpatient or private clinics.
A promising pilot in one province showed day surgeries for hips and knees rose from 1 percent to over 30 percent, cutting costs, freeing hospital beds, and helping urgent cases.
Performing more procedures is only half the battle. Ensuring timely, equitable access is the rest.
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