TORONTO - Ontario has the shortest total wait time for surgery among the provinces, a report released Monday suggests.
The Fraser Institute report says the wait time between referral by a general practitioner and the patient receiving treatment is 14.3 weeks in Ontario.
However, the report notes that is an increase from 14 weeks in 2010.
Ontario had the shortest wait times between referral by a general practitioner and consultation with a specialist at 7.2 weeks, and between specialist consultation and treatment at 7.1 weeks.
The median wait time for Canadians seeking surgical or other therapeutic treatment was 19 weeks in 2011, which is the longest wait time since 1993, the report said.
In 2011, the average wait for an appointment with a specialist after being referred by a general practitioner was 156 per cent longer than in 1993, according to the report's calculations.
"Canadians are being forced to wait almost 4 1/2 months, on average, to receive surgical care, prolonging the pain and suffering patients and their families are forced to endure," said Mark Rovere, a co-author of the report.
"Despite significant increases in government health spending, Canadians are still waiting too long to access medically necessary treatment," Rovere said.
Among the various specialties, the shortest total wait was for medical oncology at 4.2 weeks, while the wait for plastic surgery was the longest at 41.6 weeks.
Dr. Christopher Simpson, chairman of the Wait Time Alliance, said the report was no surprise.
"The Fraser Institute report is consistent with what the WTA has been saying -- while some progress has been made in the so-called priority areas, too many Canadians are still waiting for too long to receive the treatment they need," said Simpson.
The alliance is a federation of 13 national medical specialty societies and the Canadian Medical Association.
