UPFRONT | News HEALTH Health care wait times may be linked to rise in female death rates: Fraser Institute Canada’s growing wait times for health care may have contributed to the deaths of 44,273 Canadian women between 1993 and 2009, a new study released by the Fraser Institute has concluded. The study, The Effect of Wait Times on Mortality in Canada, examines the relationship between mortality rates and lengthy wait times for medi-cally necessary care in Canada. As wait times between referral (from a general practitioner) and treatment increase, so does the rate of female mortality, the study found. “Deaths resulting from delayed medical care are unacceptable. Canadian taxpayers fund one of the developed world’s most expensive universal ac-cess health-care systems, yet delays for emergen-cy care, primary care, specialist consultation and elective surgery are among the longest in the world,” said Nadeem Esmail, study author and Fraser Institute senior fellow. The estimated 44,273 deaths between 1993 and 2009 represent 2.5 per cent of all female deaths in Canada during that 16-year period, or 1.2 per cent of Canada’s total mortality (male and female). More specifically, during that same 16-year period, for every one-week increase in the post-re-ferral wait time for medically necessary elective procedures, three female Canadians died (per 100,000 women). In a separate analysis, the study finds that changes in wait times for cardiovascular treat-ments were associated with approximately 662 potentially avoidable female deaths between 1994 and 2009. These deaths represent 0.16 per cent of avoidable female deaths during the period No significant relationship between wait times and male mortality rates was found. So what drives this gender disparity? Possible factors include an increased partici-pation among women in the workforce and differ-ences in access to medical services. “While the reasons for the potential gender difference remain unclear, the solution to the problem is obvious. Lengthy wait times for medi-cally necessary treatment, and the deaths asso-ciated with them, are Canada’s shame, but we can solve both problems through sensible policy re-form,” Esmail said. So what can be done? “Countries with relatively short health-care wait times rely to varying degrees on market incentives and private competition, such as cost-sharing and competing private hospitals, within the universal health-care system. Policymakers who cling to flawed policies, and argue against reform with rhetoric rather than fact, should consider wheth-er Canadians who die while waiting for health care are being sacrificed to ideology,” Esmail said. The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organiza-tion with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal, and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to meas-ure, study and communicate the impact of com-petitive markets and government intervention on the welfare of individuals. To protect the Institute’s independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. – Marketwired 14 Canadian Chiropractor July/August 2014 Catch the ICPA in Canada! The ICPA offers advanced quality seminars providing the most up-to-date information and skills pertaining to the care of children and pregnant mothers. Our classes are renowned for hands on, practical, clinical content. Join the ICPA and acquire the skills to care for more families in your community. TORONTO • CALGARY • OTTAWA Canadian Seminar Locations icpa4kids.com/seminarsca REGISTER TODAY!
Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctor July August 2014: Page 14
