they are not alone. with a provincial election underway, there have been calls for an infusion of cash and new ideas to clear a surgical backlog exacerbated by the pandemic.
“people are going to be increasingly frustrated. people are coming into the emergency room sicker,” said dr. rose zacharias, a family physician and the president of the oma.
last week, the provincial liberals said they would dedicate $1 billion over two years towards clearing the surgical backlogs, aiming for wait times to return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year. the ndp said it would spend $1.38 billion to clear the backlog in two years. in last month’s budget, the progressive conservatives announced $300 million for a “surgical recovery strategy” in 2022-23.