In their recent article, CMAJ News interviews Dr. Chris Simpson, cardiologist & former Chief Medical Information Office for Novari Health as well as family physician Dr. Kamila Premji and Robin McGee, a cancer patient whose care was delayed due to the COVID-19 slowdown.
“About one in three Canadians who need joint replacements or cataract surgery don’t get those procedures within recommended times. Wait times for prostate cancer and lung cancer surgeries are increasing. And those are just the delays we know about – for most health services, beyond a handful of priority procedures, there is scant information about how long patients are waiting to access care.
Year after year, it’s been the same story – that is, until the COVID-19 shutdown compounded Canada’s access issues. As thousands of patients across the country face additional delays in care, “I’m not sure we’re ever going to catch up,” says cardiologist and wait time expert Dr. Chris Simpson”