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Waiting too long for treatment can make patients sicker and more anxious, according to new research conducted on behalf of the Canadian Medical Association

A study by Ipsos-Reid found that two-thirds of Canadians felt that they had waited too long for treatment in the previous 12 months. Half of those people felt that their condition or that of a family member had become worse because of this delay.

Upon the release of these results Wednesday, the CMA called for more than $1-billion in new health-care funding to put in place systems that will assure “national, long-term sustainable health human resource planning.”

Saying that there is “no doubt” that a shortage of health-care providers is a barrier to speedy care, the CMA called for the federal government to take action in its next budget, coming March 23.

“Canadians are telling us that waiting for health care is making them sick and tired,” said Dr. Sunil Patel, CMA president. “As a physician, I too am tired, tired of constantly defending the system to patients asking me why. ‘Why must I wait so long for my referral, my tests or my treatment?'”

The CMA is also calling on the federal government to eliminate or rebate fully the GST paid by the health care system.

The plea from the CMA study comes on the heels of warning Tuesday from the premiers that Canada's universal health-care system may be on its last legs unless it receives more federal funds and undergoes meaningful reform.

“This grave inequity means that our current system is not sustainable, the principles of the Canada Health Act are at risk and health care as we know it will not survive the end of the decade,” Prince Edward Island Premier Pat Binns declared as he read out the leaders' communiqué.

The premiers lashed out at Ottawa for cutting equalization payments and reducing its share of provincial health-care budgets at a time of federal surpluses and sharp rises in health-care costs. Alberta Premier Ralph Klein reiterated his province's willingness to consider opting out of the Canada Health Act.

To keep the pressure on the federal government in the lead-up to the budget, the CMA will release next month a study comparing waiting times in Canada with those in four other countries.

On Wednesday, the CMA's Dr. Patel conceded that a shortage of health-care providers “may not be news,” but he warned that the time for royal commissions, senate committees and national consultations is over.

“It is well past time that someone did something about it, Canadians are suffering for it.”

Some key words: "last legs, grave inequity, not sustainable, sharp rise in health-care costs."

I guess it just depends on which part of the elephant the blind man is touching...