Ottawa should step in to cut medical wait times, Canadians say

Commissioned by the Wait Time Alliance (WTA), a coalition of 18 medical professional organizations, and released today, the Nanos poll shows Canadians are overwhelmingly concerned about all aspects of the wait time issue, regardless of age. [...] Beyond the provinces, the federal government must be part of the solution.” Many medical specialists believe now is the time for Ottawa to step up. [...] Although wait time reduction was a priority in the just-expired 2004 Health Accord between Ottawa, the provinces and the territories, the WTA has concluded progress in the past decade has been only marginal. [...] In a brief also released today, the WTA renewed calls for a national seniors strategy that includes dementia, standardized countrywide wait time data and more federal money for health care and community care resources (see Timely access to care for all Canadians: The role of the federal government). [...] “When all of the wait periods in a typical patient’s health care journey are considered together, an even more striking picture of delayed care emerges.” The Wait Time Alliance (WTA) is a partnership comprised of the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society, the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology, the Canadian Association of General Surgeons, the.