Government of Saskatchewan ministries, Crown corporations and organizations are implementing contingency plans to minimize the impacts of postal service disruption.
Les ministères, sociétés d’État et organismes du gouvernement de la Saskatchewan mettent en œuvre des plans d’urgence visant à réduire les répercussions de l’interruption du service des postes.
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(Posted on December 12, 2024)
Saskatchewan’s surgical system is making progress in ramping up volumes and providing surgeries to patients who need them most. The priority for the surgical program in 2024-25 is to consolidate and maintain the substantial increase in surgical volume that was achieved in 2023-24. According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), Saskatchewan’s surgical volumes in 2023-24 grew 7.2% over pre-COVID levels, compared to a national average of 5%.
Continuing investment in surgical teams, technology and transformation will secure permanent improvement in access to surgical care for Saskatchewan people.
Higher surgical volumes, as well as gains in surgical efficiency, help to ensure that wait lists and wait times will trend down for the coming year.
This performance update provides surgical data from July 1 to September 30, 2024.
Results as of September 30, 2024 (posted on December 12, 2024)
Between July 1 to September 30, 2024, there were 22,491 surgeries performed, with 78.2% of patients receiving their surgery, or an offer of surgery, within three months, 89.6% within six months, and 96.6% within 12 months.
| Access to Surgery - Provincial (July 1 to September 30, 2024) |
|
| Surgeries Performed or Offered Within Three Months | 78.2% |
| Surgeries Performed or Offered Within Six Months | 89.6% |
| Surgeries Performed or Offered Within 12 Months | 96.6% |
| Percentage calculated over the time period. A small number of patients were offered surgery sooner, but opted for a later date. | |
| Number of Patients Waiting (Change Since March 2010) |
|||
| March 31, 2010 | September 30, 2024 | Change Since 2010 | |
| Cases Waiting More Than Three Months | 15,229 | 14,286 | -6.2% |
| Cases Waiting More Than Six Months | 9,819 | 7,781 | -20.8% |
| Cases Waiting More Than 12 Months | 3,976 | 2,321 | -41.6% |
In addition to reporting the wait time from when surgery was booked to when surgery was provided, we also report the wait time from the booking date to the date the patient could have received surgery, since some patients choose to wait longer than the earliest date offered to them.
| Surgical facilities by area of the province | |
| North West | Hospitals in North Battleford, Lloydminster, Meadow Lake |
| North East | Hospitals in Melfort, Prince Albert, Nipawin |
| Saskatoon | Facilities in Saskatoon, including Saskatoon City Hospital, St. Paul's Hospital, Royal University Hospital, Jim Pattison Children's Hospital, Prairieview Surgical Centre |
| South West | Hospitals in Swift Current, Moose Jaw, Rosetown, Kindersley |
| South East | Hospitals in Estevan, Weyburn, Yorkton, Humboldt |
| Regina | Facilities in Regina, including Regina General Hospital, Pasqua Hospital, Regina Surgical Centre |
| Access to Surgery by Area of Service | ||||
| July 1 to September 30, 2024 | On September 30, 2024 | |||
| Area of Service | Surgeries Performed Within Three Months | Surgeries Performed or Offered Within Three Months | Patients Waiting More Than Three Months | Patients Waiting: No Offer of Surgery Within Three Months |
| North West | 87.9% | 89.5% | 536 | 425 |
| North East | 86.0% | 89.1% | 745 | 606 |
| Saskatoon | 73.5% | 75.4% | 7,423 | 7,117 |
| South West | 78.8% | 79.6% | 435 | 423 |
| South East | 96.5% | 97.3% | 53 | 44 |
| Regina | 73.8% | 74.7% | 5,094 | 4,996 |
| Provincial | 76.7% | 78.2% | 14,286 | 13,611 |
*Not including 19 surgeries performed in out of province facilities during this period.
The percentage reflects the proportion of surgeries that were performed or offered within 3 months of the booking date. "Patients Waiting" counts the number of cases on that date in which a patient hasn't had surgery yet and has waited longer than three months. Area of Service indicates the location of the surgical centre in which the surgery took place, not the patients' place of residence.
There were 7,781 patients on the wait list who had already waited six months on September 30, 2024. Between July 1 and September 30, 2024, the percentage of surgeries performed within six months was:
There were a total of 28,598 patients waiting for surgery on September 30, 2024, (including people waiting less than three months). The wait list has increased slightly (by 137 cases) since September 30, 2023.
Recent increases are attributed in part to increase in the demand for surgery. This fiscal year-to-date (from April 1 to September 30, 2024) elective bookings were 6% higher (about 2,500 cases) than they were in the same period of 2023.
The tables below give some information about recent surgical wait times in different areas of the province. They show the number of surgeries performed in the last three months, as well as how long people waited for the surgeries that were performed. They also show the number of patients currently waiting in each area. This information can give you a rough idea what the current wait times are for surgery. The tables can be sorted by specialty, so you can see how long the wait times are for a specific group of procedures like orthopedics or urology. They can also be sorted by area.
Current Wait Times - Median/90th Percentile
This table shows the median and 90th percentile wait times for the surgeries that were performed in the last three months. The 90th percentile wait time is the time by which nine out of 10 (90%) of patients received the procedure. The median is the time by which five out 10 (50%) of patients received the procedure.
This table shows how long patients waited according to established wait time categories -- ranging from within 3 weeks to more than 12 months. Wait times are shown as the percentage of patients who had their surgery within that time category.
View Waits by Service Area and Specialty Data
Graph - Distribution of Waits
This graph shows the distribution of wait times among patients who recently had surgery. It shows that most people get their surgery in the first few months after their procedure is booked by a surgeon, while other people wait many months from the time of booking. Some people have shorter waits because their procedure is urgent.
View Distribution of Waits Data
Wait Time Trends
The following three graphs show how surgical data and trends are monitored in the province. This report shows the monthly trend over the last 14 years of the median and 90th percentile wait times. You can refine your search by selecting an area of the province.
Counts of Patients Waiting by Time Already Waited
This report shows the number of patients waiting for surgery at the end of each month over the past 14 years. You can define your search by selecting an area of the province.
View Counts of Patients Waiting Data
Surgical Volumes
This report shows the number of surgeries performed each month over the past seven years. You can refine your search by selecting an area of the province.
Click on the following links to see wait time information on some common procedures performed for cancer or suspected cancer. The cancer wait time cases reported here are a subset of the total reported surgery cases. (Cancer cases are also included in other data shown on the website.) These links will open as PDF documents.
Cancer Surgery Wait Times by Area of Service
Selected Procedures:
Since 2005 there have been pan Canadian benchmarks for access to health services, including some selected surgical procedures.
Click on the links below to see current data and trend graphs for Saskatchewan's performance against each of the pan Canadian benchmarks for surgery.
Check this interactive tool provided by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) to see Saskatchewan's performance compared to other provinces.
Radiation therapy is the responsibility of the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency. Information on the benchmark "radiation therapy within four weeks of being ready to treat" is available on the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency website.
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