PANDEMIC SURGICAL BACKLOG WILL TAKE 3.5 YEARS TO CLEAR

Ontario’s fiscal watchdog says it will take the province approximately 3½ years to clear the surgical backlog from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Financial Accountability Office projects that the backlog of cancelled surgeries will reach 419,200 procedures by the end of September. The FAO estimates it will cost the province $1.3 billion to clear the backlog, and notes the government has allocated $610 million in its latest budget to address the issue. The watchdog says its projections on clearing the backlog assumes hospitals will be able to operate at 11 per cent above pre-pandemic volumes in the coming years. Overall, the FAO says the province will have a $61.9-billion spending shortfall in the health-care sector over the next nine years.