Ontario Reducing Wait Times for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Procedures

When it comes to wait times for surgeries and procedures, the status quo is not acceptable. That’s why our government is taking bold action to boost access to surgeries and diagnostic imaging so Ontarians can conveniently access the care they need sooner, closer to home.

As part of the Your Health plan, we’re taking the next step to make it faster and easier for people to connect to publicly-funded surgeries and procedures by issuing a call for applications that will add 60,000 more gastrointestinal endoscopy procedures at community surgical and diagnostic centres across the province each year.

With new licences expected to be issued starting in Winter 2025, this expansion of service will help reduce wait times for GI endoscopy across  the province, ensuring everyone who needs a procedure receives it within the medically recommended period of time.

As we significantly expand the number of surgeries being done through community surgical and diagnostic centres, all applicants must provide detailed staffing plans that protect the stability of staffing resources at public hospitals, report into the province’s wait times information system and participate in regional central intakes, where available, to ensure people get the surgery they need as quickly as possible.

This builds on our MRI/CT call for application launched in June to connect nearly 100,000 more people to MRI/CT scans at community surgical and diagnostic centres across the province each year. A third call is expected to be launched in the fall to expand access to orthopedic surgeries.

Learn More: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1004974/ontario-reducing-wait-times-for-gastrointestinal-endoscopy-procedures