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Getting Hip: Recovery from a Total Hip Replacement by Sigrid Macdonald
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 Waiting for Surgery
WAIT IS A FOUR LETTER WORD
I put my name on the surgeon’s list and went home to wait. Instead of waiting 12 months as I had expected, I waited 18 months. Why is the waiting list for joint replacements so long in Canada? Millions of people suffer from arthritis and disabling pain and their numbers are increasing as the population ages. Secondly, there is a shortage of orthopedic surgeons in this country. Many have retired, died or become part of the "brain drain" that has immigrated to the United States. The Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation states that there are only 900 orthopedic surgeons in Canada today and that nurses, anesthesiologists, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists are also in short supply. Budget cutbacks and inadequate staffing often necessitate the closing of orthopedic wards or cancellation of surgeries. Doctors have difficulty booking time in operating rooms and finding available beds for their patients. Surgical cancellations serve to further increase the backlog of patients who are waiting for joint surgery.
The Fraser Institute, an independent public policy organization, says that the median waiting times for replacement of the hip, knee, ankle, or shoulder after an appointment with a specialist were as follows in 2003:
Saskatchewan : 72 weeks
British Columbia : 52 weeks
Alberta : 32 weeks
Quebec : 24.5 weeks
Manitoba : 26 weeks
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