The Case for Public Innovation and Provincial Leadership
BC’s surgical wait times are among the longest in the country. The provincial government recently released a policy paper that discusses the need for more provincial leadership to reduce wait times.
But the report also recommends extending the length of stay in private surgical facilities for up to three days — a direction that the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC recognizes would sanction a for-profit hospital sector.
This study provides an extensive review of research on the problems with private, for-profit surgical delivery. It also presents detailed policy recommendations that build on best practices from BC and Saskatchewan as well as Scotland — a global leader in public sector wait-time solutions.
Attachments
SUMMARY: Reducing Surgical Wait Times: The Case for Public Innovation and Provincial Leadership
About the authors
Andrew Longhurst
Andrew Longhurst is a senior researcher and political economist, with a focus on health policy, at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. His work has been published in academic journals and by research institutes, including Canadian Journal on Aging, Political Geography, the CCPA, and the Parkland Institute.
Dr. Margaret McGregor
Dr. Margaret McGregor is a family physician and clinical associate professor at the University of British Columbia, Department of Family Practice.
Marcy Cohen
Marcy Cohen is a research associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and an adjunct faculty member in Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. She has co-authored a number of research and policy studies looking at public solutions to the current challenges in our health care system, including the 2007 CCPA publication Why Wait? Public Solutions to Cure Surgical Waitlists.