News Releases:

October 14, 2005
Failure to meet wait time benchmarks "unacceptable," says Medical Clinics Association
"Wait times should be eliminated, not managed"
Vancouver, BC,

Canada's independent medical clinics today said that the failure to set wait time benchmarks for medical procedures is symptomatic of an outdated health care system that is incapable of meeting patient needs. "Wait times do not need be managed," said Dr. Brian Day, Orthopedic Surgeon and President of Canadian Independent Medical Clinics Association (CIMCA). "They need to be eliminated."

The Supreme Court of Canada has stated that the pain and suffering of patients waiting for necessary health care is unacceptable.

"If we are incapable of benchmarking wait times for five medical procedures, how will we ever find the will and the resources to actually reduce wait lists for all procedures?" asked Day.

"Creating appropriate benchmarks for access to medical care is simple," says Day. "Emergencies and urgent procedures should be done immediately and everything else within a week or two, as is the case in many other countries. Canadians deserve the same standards of care and access seen in many European countries that have no waits."

CIMCA will hold a national conference - Saving Medicare: Strategies and Solutions - in Vancouver on November 11-12, 2005, where delegates and experts from around the world will explain how simple the solutions are.

CIMCA is a not-for-profit organization that represents medical clinics, health care workers and patients. Its mission is to promote improved access to high quality and timely health care for all Canadians.

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