By Ashley Legassic

New report looks at wait times, lengthy lists for surgeries in BC

Jan 15, 2019 | 9:47 AM

VANCOUVER — More than 85,000 patients were on a wait-list for medically-needed surgery at the end of the 2017-18 fiscal year, according to a new report.

The BC Anesthesiologists’ Society (BCAS) released the ‘Far Too Long, Far Too Many‘ report earlier today (Jan. 15), and in a news release, the organization says this is the first in a series of discussion papers on BC’s “worrisome increase” in surgical wait-lists and wait-times. 

“We undertook considerable research to determine the size and extent of B.C.’s surgical wait-lists, as well as the length of time patients must endure before they receive treatment,” said Dr. Roland Orfaly, Chief Executive Officer of the BCAS. “It is surprising just how large – and how quickly – B.C.’s wait-lists have grown in recent years. Our research discovered, for example, that since 2001/02 the number of people waiting for surgery has risen at a rate three-times greater than the rate of increase in the province’s total population.”

Orfaly said the purpose of this discussion paper was to illustrate not only the size of BC’s wait-lists and wait-times, but also to show British Columbians that anesthesiologists want to work in collaboration with the provincial government, regional health authorities and other health care providers to find solutions. 

“I think it was really telling that all three major political parties contesting the May 2017 general election mentioned the importance of surgical wait-times in their election platforms,” said Orfaly. “It is not a question, therefore, of whether a significant problem currently exists in B.C. – it truly does – but the real question is how we decide to address it and improve the health and well-being of thousands of British Columbians.”

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Orfaly said the title of the paper was a quote from Premier John Horgan last March, when he announced additional funding for knee and hip replacement surgeries.  

“We sincerely welcome the commitment by Premier Horgan to focus on the growth in the number of British Columbians waiting for medically-necessary surgery, as well as his dedication of new resources to address the issue,” said Orfaly.