Ontario’s Financial Accountability Office says the province’s surgical backlog is growing.
NDP leader Andrea Horwath says the waitlist 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. Horwath wants the government to commit more money to clear it faster.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says there is 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,” says Elliott.
The FAO report suggests it could cost 1.3 billion dollars to reduce the backlog, more than twice as much as the province had budgeted.
