Quebec’s year-long surgery waitlist drops to pandemic-era low, but challenges remain

Surgery backlog in Quebec shrinking For the first time in five years, fewer than 10,000 people have been waiting over a year for surgery.

The number of Quebec patients waiting more than one year for surgery has dropped to 8,824 – the lowest number since the early days of the pandemic – according to the province’s ministry of health.

The last time there was less than 10,000 patients on the list was August 2020.

“It is good news,” Brunet said. “At the same time, we need even more efficiency...patients that we’re hearing from, are very anxious. They’re seeing their state of health sometimes degrading.”

And the figures are far from the ministry’s targets.

The plan was to return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2024, meaning 2,500 people waiting more than 12 months.

A big part of the problem is that nearly 30 per cent of operating rooms in the province’s public network are closed due to staffing shortages, according to the Quebec Federation of Medical Specialists.

The federation has put up $450 million to solve this specific issue, said Dr. Rafik Ghali, its director of professional affairs.

“There should be no patients that wait over a year,” he added.

The federation is working with the ministry and Sante Quebec to open those operating room for longer periods.

While their work started more than one year ago, so far, they said just $10 million has been spent.

“We’ll give the benefit of the doubt to Sante Quebec that they’ll be able to quickly show us a plan to do that,” Ghali said.

That leaves both patients and providers hoping the province will deliver on its promises in the year ahead.