Number of Patients Who Die While Waiting for Medical Care Hits 5-Year High

The number of Canadians who have died while on a waiting list for medical care is at a five-year high, according to a new report. Over 17,000 patients died before they could be treated with surgery or diagnostic scans, says a SecondStreet.org report published on Dec. 6. That number represents a 64 percent increase since 2018, the report said. “The data consists of cases where patients died waiting for procedures that could have potentially saved their lives (e.g. a heart operation) and procedures that could have improved their quality of life (e.g. hip operation),” SecondStreet.org said in a news release. In total, over 58,000 patients have died while waiting for care since 2018. However, the report noted that not every health care body provided statistics as some do not track patients on waiting lists who die before receiving care. In 2022-23, 17,032 patients died while on a waiting list....