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Report finds cancer patients in this area wait longer for surgery atients in this area wait Pl(mgor for cancer surgery, but have hip and knee replacement surgery _ quicker â€" than patients in other parts of Ontario. Those are among the findings of a landmark report on Ontario wait times, refeased recently by the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences {1CES}. It concludes that many patients continue to experiâ€" ence "projonged wait times". The report also says that wait times for bypass proceâ€" dures were shorter here than the provincial median, but the wait for cataract treatment was longer. * The report features 14 health integration networks from across the province, with waits at Grand River and St. Mary‘s General hosâ€" pitals included in the Waterâ€" looâ€"Wellington network. Following are the median wait times for patients in Waterlooâ€"Wellington. *Cancer surgery: large bhowel resection, 31 days:; mastectomy, 32 days; radiâ€" cal prostatectomy, 97 days; hysterectomy, 50 days. The provincial median wait was shorter by a range of three to 10 days, depending on the procedure. By Cagot â€"Ana NuceNt For The Chronicle PROJECT GREEN is a national effort involving individual Canadians, businesses, communities and governments â€" working together to build a healthier environment and a stronger economy. And Moving Forward on Climate Change is part of it. is | Ei is A Pan for Honouring our Kyoto Commitment Government ot Canada «Elective coronary angiography, 28 days, comâ€" pared to the provincial median wait time of 24 days; the Jocal wait for an urgent coronary angiography is one day. *Angioplasty, three days (the same median wait as the provincial average); *Urgent bypass surgery, three days (the same as the provincial median wait times}; *Elective bypass surgery. 35 days, compared to the provincial wait of 40 days. «Cataract treatment, 19 weeks, compared to the provincial median wait time of 15 weeks. «Hip replacement, 21 weeks, compared to the provincial median wait time of 24 weeks. *Knee replacment, 28 weeks, compared to the provincial median wait time of 33 weeks. "Some degree of waiting exists in most healthâ€"care systems, and reasonable wait times should not be equated with poor quality of care or an inefficient sysâ€" tem," says the ICES report. "A reasonable period of waiting prior to a major lifeâ€" altering elective surgery, such as cardiac surgery or hip replacement, provides patients with an opportuniâ€" ty to prepare for surgery, and to reconsider whether Gouvernement du Canada Canad® With clear objectives, PROJECT GREEN and the Climate Change Plan will: / Keep our air clean and help reduce smog / Keep our rivers, lakes and oceans clean / Preserve wildlife and green spaces / Make Canada a world leader in developing new sustainable technologies / Help to honour our Kyoto commitment To get your copy of the Plan, or to join the Oneâ€"Tonne Challenge: Call 1 800 Oâ€"Canada (1 800 622â€"6232), ty i son or visit climatechange.ge.ca they truly wish to proceed with the surgery and its associated risk of complicaâ€" tions. Some wait time also allows a healthâ€"care system to run efficiently by miniâ€" mizing idle time on the part of providers, which could occur if there were no waitâ€" ing lists. "However, when wait times for health care are excessively prolonged for many patients, as suggested by the data in this report, there is a problem. There are no medical benefits associâ€" ated with excessive wait times and some patients suffer considerable pain, stress, and anxiety while waiting. The risk of an adverse event also increases when patients wait for unreasonable lengths of time." The report makes several funding recommendations, including allocating funding to provide equitable access to key services, and allocatâ€" ing funding to a public eduâ€" cation campaign focusing on wait times. The province has already introduced a Wait List Strategy aimed at improving access to the proâ€" cedures studied in the report. WATERLOO CHRONICLE We‘ll bring your store to over 32,000 doors. Warenoo‘s Own Community NEwsrareR â€" BB6â€"2830 17 7 MTF3N mnudnety since 1856 Canada