Private clinics would shorten waiting lists: Tories

The Progressive Conservatives say privately owned clinics would make the wait for patients who require treatment by specialists even shorter in Manitoba.

A study released Tuesday by the Fraser Institute indicated Manitobans had shorter waits to see and receive treatment from specialists than patients in all other provinces. According to the report, in 2004 the average wait for treatment by a specialist following referral by a general practitioner was 14.8 weeks in Manitoba. The national average was just under 18 weeks.

• FROM OCT. 19, 2004: Health wait-times shortest in Manitoba: study

Tory Health Critic Myrna Driedger says private clinics would speed things up even more.

"As long as the government is buying the service you know, buying the day surgery at a clinic, buying the treatment at a clinic I don't think Manitobans care who owns the clinic," says Driedger.

"We would certainly urge the government [to] bring down waiting lists by collaborating with private clinics. Buy services with private clinics so that we can, indeed, bring down waiting lists."

The Fraser Institute says across the country wait list times have increased in the last decade. In fact, the Vancouver-based think tank says national wait times are hovering at an all-time high for patients seeking specialized medical treatment.

Links related to this story:

FRASER INSTITUTE: More on the study