Not only do medical imaging wait times cause delays for patients of up to three months for critical scans, but they also cost Canada 64 billion Canadian dollars ($45.7 billion U.S.) annually in lost gross domestic product (GDP), according to a new report released by the Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR) in conjunction with Deloitte.
According to the report, in 2023, more than two million Canadians lost an average estimated 1,017 Canadian dollars ($725 U.S.) in annual wages due to having to leave work while waiting for diagnostic imaging.
Furthermore, Canadian patients have wait times of 84 days for an MRI and 66 days for a CT scan on average, according to the report.
CAR points to “chronic underinvestment” in diagnostic imaging over decades as the root cause of the problem, noting that Canada lags behind its peers in capacity and access for diagnostic imaging.
While imaging contributed 5.3 billion Canadian dollars ($3.8 billion U.S.) to the country's GDP in 2024 and supported more than 71,000 jobs, the imaging infrastructure has not grown at the same pace as the escalating need, CAR added.
The Ottawa, ON-based CAR called for targeted federal investment to address workforce shortages and modernize diagnostic imaging infrastructure to expand access and cut wait times for Canadians.
Read the report here.
