These experts say there are solutions to Ontario’s huge health-care backlog that go outside the norm – CBC

‘A lot of what we do in health care isn’t efficient,’ says surgeon who wants culture shift

Jan 31, 2022

Health-care experts say there are solutions to Ontario’s immense backlog of non-COVID-19 cases, but it would require a “complete rethink” of how the province’s health system operates.

The call for a better way to address the burgeoning crisis comes as non-urgent surgeries resume this week and the province stages talks with the Ontario Nurses Association to address the crushing shortage of nurses.

The staffing shortage, along with the huge backlog of cases, were both problems before the pandemic, but the unrelenting chokehold of COVID-19 on the system has stretched its threadbare resources like never before.

The true size and scope of the current backlog isn’t known, but an estimate by the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) puts it at 20 million delayed doctor visits, surgeries and diagnostic tests during the pandemic, as of December.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/ontario-healthcare-backlog-surgery-1.6328382