Neurosurgery Wait Times in Canada, 2020

In our previous blog, we brought your attention to 2020 medical wait times for Orthopedic surgery in Canada. In this blog, we will look in more detail at one of the 12 specialities wait times examined by Fraser Institute – Neurosurgery.

Across Canada, the total wait time in 2020 to get neurosurgery was 33.2 weeks. This is an increase of 8.7 weeks, compared to 2019 when the wait was 25.5 weeks. Chart 1 shows Neurosurgery wait times 10 years back and also includes 1993 when it was 12.9 weeks.

The report further breaks down wait times into two different segments. Segment 1 is the wait time from referral by a general practitioner to consultation with a specialist. Segment 2 is the wait time from the consultation with a specialist to point at which a patient receives treatment.

The wait time from GP to a specialist was 21 weeks, again, more than in 2019 when it was 15.7 weeks. The wait time from specialist to treatment was 12.2 weeks, up from 9.7 weeks in 2019. It is the second-longest wait time for the 12 specialities surveyed in 2020.

As far as which province fares the best, the report lists Quebec, where the median patient wait to see a specialist after referral from GP takes 8 weeks, and median wait to get treatment after the appointment with a specialist is 13.7 weeks. In other words, the median time to get neurosurgery in Quebec is 21.7 weeks. Ontario is in the second-fastest, with a total median wait time of 26.9 weeks.

The longest wait time was in Nova Scotia – a total of 70.7 weeks from referral by GP to surgery. Please refer to Chart 2 for the rest of the Canadian provinces numbers.

If you are unwilling to wait and would like to explore your private options, we are here to connect you to a reputable medical facility in the US or Canada. Give us a call to find out your options – toll-free 877 344 3544

Chart 1

Chart 2