- Government data obtained through FOI shows that 23,746 patients died on the waiting list during the last financial year, bringing the total since 2018 to more than 100,000.
CCanadian think tank SecondStreet.org today released government data showing that at least 23,746 patients died on government waiting lists in the last financial year. The data was obtained through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests and covers a wide range of services – heart surgeries, hip operations, MRI scans, etc.
Colin Craig, president of SecondStreet.org, said, “What’s really sad is that behind many of these statistics are stories of suffering of patients during their final years – grandparents struggling with chronic pain while waiting for a hip operation, people leaving children dying while waiting for a heart operation, so much suffering.” “It doesn’t have to be this way. If we copied better-performing European public health systems, we could vastly reduce patient suffering.”
The data covers the fiscal year April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2025. Key features include:
- At least 23,746 patients have died while waiting for surgery or diagnostic scans in Canada. The figure does not include parts of Alberta and Manitoba, while some health bodies only had data on surgeries, not diagnostic scans. Most provinces have no data on patients who died while waiting for specialist appointments;
- Comparing data from health care bodies that provided information for both this year and last year showed a 3% increase in deaths on the waiting list. Patients died after waiting from less than a week to nearly nine years;
- New data from Ontario Health shows 355 patients died while waiting for cardiac surgery or a cardiac procedure. While many cases did not include the target waiting time for treatment to be provided, there were at least 90 cases where patients died after waiting longer than the stated targets or after waiting more than 90 days; And
- Since April 2018, SecondStreet.org has collected government data showing more than 100,876 cases where Canadians died while waiting for care. In previous years, large chunks of data were missing, so the total number is likely much higher.
Craig said, “It’s interesting that governments will regularly inspect restaurants and publicly report if there is a small problem like a missing paper towel holder.” “Meanwhile, no government reports publicly on patients dying on the waiting list. This is quite hypocritical.”
To view the report- Click here
To see government FOI responses, see below.
British Columbia:
Internal Health – Surgery, Diagnosis
Fraser Health – Surgery, Diagnostic
Northern Health – Surgery, Diagnosis
Island Health – Surgery, Diagnosis
Vancouver Coastal Health – Surgery, Diagnosis
alberta
Alberta Health Services – Surgery, Diagnosis
Saskatchewan
Ministry of Health – Surgery, Diagnosis
Saskatchewan Cancer Agency – Click Here
manitoba
Prairie Mountain Health – Surgery, Diagnostic
Southern Health – Surgery, Diagnosis
Winnipeg Regional Health Authority ‒ click here
Shared Health ‒ Click Here
Ontario
Ontario Health – Surgery, Diagnostic, Cardiac Surgery, Cardiac Procedures
quebec
University of Montreal (CHUM) ‒ click here
CIUSSS Capitale Nationale ‒ click here
CIUSSS du Nord-de-Le-de-Montréal ‒ click here
CISSS Bas Saint Laurent ‒ Click Here
Quebec Heart and Lung Institute at Laval University – click here
CISSS South Center Montreal Island ‒ click here
CISSS Chaudière-Appalaches ‒ click here
CISSS Outaouais ‒ click here
CISSS Abitibi-Témiscamingue ‒ click here
CISSS Laurentides ‒ Click Here
CIUSSS East Montreal ‒ click here
CISSS Montérégie-Centre ‒ click here
CISSS Montérégie-Est ‒ click here
CIUSSS Astri-Centre Sherbrooke – Click Here
CHU de Québec, Université Laval ‒ click here
new Brunswick
New Brunswick Health ‒ click here
Horizon Health Network ‒ Click Here
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Health Authority – Surgery, Diagnosis
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services ‒ Click here
prince edward island
Prince Edward Island Health – Surgery, Diagnosis
<a href