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Federal Health Minister Says Progress Being Made on Wait Times

Posted on: Monday, 21 August 2006, 12:00 CDT

CHARLOTTETOWN (CP) - Canada's health minister says the provinces are making good progress towards establishing wait time guarantees for patient care, and firm results should be achieveable within two years.

In an address to the Canadian Medical Association today, Tony Clement says many provinces and territories are already providing timely care in some form or another and the next step is to put national guarantees in place.

He says a key element of the equation is providing fair and equitable recourse for patients seeking care, including the option of travelling to other locations if that is the only way to get timely service.

Clement stresses that wait time guarantees - one of five top priorities for Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government - are a process, not an event.

Clement says the federal government is working with researchers to develop wait time benchmarks so Canadians know how long they should reasonably expect to wait for procedures.

The Canadian Medical Association, the main voice for 60,000 Canadian physicians, is urging quick action on the guarantees, with a safety-valve for patients to pursue care in other locations if necessary.

Source: Canadian Press

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