Manitobans needing cataract surgery may have to wait longer to get the procedure done than most Canadians.
The findings come from a new report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), released Tuesday. In 2016, it found only 34 per cent of patients in Manitoba who needed cataract surgery were able to get the procedure done within the recommended time of 16 weeks.
- Saskatchewan patients had a 79 per cent chance of getting the surgery done in time.
- Patients in Prince Edward Island had a 92 per cent chance of being treated.
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What about hip surgery?
A majority of Manitoba patients who needed hip surgery were treated within the recommended time in 2016.
The report found Manitobans had a better chance of getting their hip replaced if they broke it. Most patients (92 per cent) received the surgery within the recommended time of 48 hours after suffering from a broken hip.
If Manitoba patients needed a hip replacement, they had 66 per cent chance of getting the surgery done within the benchmark of six months. That’s the fourth lowest percentage wait time in the country.
Nova Scotia was the lowest at 56 per cent and Quebec and Ontario were the highest at 85 per cent.
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Best wait time
The province met the benchmark time for radiation therapy 100 per cent of the time. All provinces across the country scored high in radiation therapy (British Columbia was the lowest at 91 per cent).
The CIHI’s report provides a snapshot of patient wait times for several priority procedures— including replacement knee replacement, cancer treatment and cardiac care. For a detailed look at how Manitobans scored compared to the rest of the country, head to the website.