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Charter Health Crowd

Vancouver Island surgery wait times worsen over the year before

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If you live on Vancouver Island and waiting for surgery, get ready for some long waits.

The Vancouver Island Health Authority is reporting as of November, 21-per cent of people waiting for hip replacements and 29-per cent waiting for knee replacements were waiting over 26 weeks for their surgery, a worsening of wait times over the year before.

It says operating room closures because of a lack of anesthesiologists is partly to blame along with increased demand for the surgeries. Only 59-per cent of elective surgeries were done within what's called the benchmark time frame.

And, 28-per cent of patients have been waiting longer than four months for cataract surgery, also considered too long.

2 Comments

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Erica, Sidney, BC wrote 3 years ago

February 03/2014 sounds like today, October 08/2021. Only the scenario is worse. On Vancouver Island, as one example: Many like myself, are waiting in excruciating pain for hip replacement
We are told it will take a year or more for surgery. That is unforgivable.


Mike, Victoria, BC wrote 10 years ago

I don't know if Canada was always this bad but as a Canadian who's recently returned from five years in Australia let me tell you getting health care in the public system here is comparitively impossible. as in poor-developing-country impossible.


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