Ontario’s Financial Accountability Office says the province’s surgical backlog is growing.
NDP leader Andrea Horwath says the waiting list is unacceptable.
“419,200 surgical backlog that we have right now in this province as well as 2.5 million people waiting for diagnostic procedures as of this September,” says Horwath.
The report suggests it could take three and a half years to clear the backlog and Horwath wants the government to commit more money to clear it faster than that.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says they do have a plan to reduce the waiting list for surgeries.
“Last fall we spent an extra $200 million in order to reduce the surgical backlogs. This was increased with our budget this year, part of our $1.8 billion investment was another $300 million to reduce the backlogs.”
The FAO report suggests it could cost $1.3 billion to reduce the backlog, more than twice as much as the province had budgeted for.
