Wait Time Updates – COVID-19

Update On Wait Times During COVID-19

It is no secret Canada has some of the longest medical waits times out of all Universal Health Care countries.  Due to the COVID shutdowns and non-urgent surgeries being put on a temporary hold, you would think there would be significant increases in wait times. 

In Nova Scotia with a population of around 1MM province wide, about 25,000 people are waiting for surgical procedures.  Approximately 1,075 of those are cancer patients.  During the shut downs, about 3.600 surgeries were cancelled.  Some have suggested this will take an additional 2 years to catch up but Greg Hirsch, head of surgical services at the Nova Scotia Health Authority said that might be a little excessive.  

We have been monitoring the wait times on the Nova Scotia website for the past few months.  Here are the numbers that have been posted:

As you can see, the number of days for surgery has increased by 14% for knee replacement surgery and by 40% for back surgery.  Hip replacement has decreased by 22%.  

Nova Scotia has done a great job at keeping the COVID-19 cases down, however, another wave of infections is projected to come which might result in more cancellations.  

Knowing your options of what you can do to get your surgery sooner or how to go about getting in a private manner can be overwhelming, especially with so many changes and restrictions placed on private facilities.  Contact Health Vantis is you have questions about your situation and what we can do to help you find the right private facility to address your needs at 877-344-3544 or info@healthvantis.com.

Health Vantis

877-344-3544

www.healthvantis.ca

info@healthvantis.com