Health In addition, the executive summary of the report confirmed that the longest wait from general practitioner to specialist and on to specialist treatment continues to be for neurosurgery (49.9 weeks) and orthopedic surgery (48.6 weeks). The shortest was for radiation oncology (4.2 weeks) and medical oncology (4.7 weeks). And perhaps one of the most pertinent observations made by the surveyed physicians was that they considered these wait times to be 4.5 weeks longer than what they considered clinically reasonable. They also cited concerns about delays for diagnostic technology – CT and MRI scans as well as ultrasound – across all provinces and emphasized the uncomfortable fact that Canadians in 2025 were on wait lists for 1.4 million procedures in 2025. From another perspective, that of the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), Canadians’ access to primary care, when compared to other developed nations, continues to languish, and the fact that only 86 per cent of Canadian adults report having their own doctor or a location which they can access for routine medical care is disturbing. That is down from 93 per cent in 2016 and is the sharpest reduction among Canada’s top 10 international cohorts in the OECD, topped by the Netherlands, remaining steady at a constant 99 per cent; UK and New Zealand at 97 per cent; Germany at 96 per cent; Australia at 94 per cent; and Switzerland at 92 per cent. The survey average of these countries remains steady at 93 per cent. Another disturbing statistic showed that in 2023, only 26 per cent of Canadians were able to get same or next-day appointments with their doctors. Medical “Escapees” Enduring painful delays is troublesome enough, but a special update commentary published in January 2026 by Mackenzie Moir, Nadeem Ismail and Yanick Labrie of the Fraser Institute reports that in 2025, almost 2.5 per cent of Canadian patients (105,529) travelled abroad “for care they could not get in Canada in a clinically timely fashion,” many paying out of pocket for services for which they have already paid via health-care fees and taxes. Though some of these may have been referred by the health-care system for lack of service or equipment on site, others appear to have left mainly to avoid adverse consequences caused by waiting, and “some may leave simply to avoid delay and to make a quicker return to normal life.” The report’s authors note that the numbers of outbound patients “who paid to escape the well-known failings of the Canadian health-care system” likely under-reported the true numbers, as these findings were based only on surveys of specialists whose patients chose to go elsewhere. They note also that Ontarians, British Columbians and Albertans “led the pack” of “escapees,” most of whom were awaiting treatment for urology, internal medicine, general surgery and gynecology… although all specialties were represented pretty evenly. Predictably, the most severe impact of such lost treatment access is felt among Canada’s elderly – an issue emphasized in a November 2025 CIHI trend data report which indicated that seniors (age 65+) comprise 19 per cent of the Canadian population, but account for 47 per cent of healthcare spending and rising. As well, according to Commonwealth Fund data, only one in four (25 per cent) Canadian adults who had a designated primary-care provider reported that they could get a same or next-day appointment. This was the lowest percentage among the 10 surveyed cohort nations in the OECD. The top countries in that category were: the Netherlands at 63 per cent; UK at 46 per cent; Switzerland at 44 per cent; United States at 43 per cent – the Commonwealth Fund average was 39 per cent. The Canadian Institute for Health Information is an independent, not-for-profit organization which is almost fully funded by Health Canada, And, according to a Commonwealth Fund survey of the world’s 10 most developed OECD nations released in June 2025, 600,000 Canadians 65 or older had no regular doctor or place for care – allowing that 92 per cent did have such access. But that 92 per cent was still the lowest among developed cohort nations ranging, again from The Netherlands with 100 per cent, and Switzerland and U.S. averaging 97 per cent. (The Commonwealth Fund is a highly respected international foundation dedicated to promoting health-care standards worldwide, and its research data are frequently cited by research entities in Canada and abroad.) Milan Korcok has been covering the evolution of Canada’s Medicare system since its earliest years, much of it as contributing editor to the Canadian Medical Association Journal, and as features editor for The Medical Post. He is a dual Canadian/American citizen…resides in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and welcomes your comments at mkorcok@aol.com. CSANews | SPRING 2026 | 37
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