Ontario to Increase GI Endoscopy Procedures to Reduce Wait Times

The Ontario government has announced plans to reduce wait times for gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy procedures by adding approximately 60,000 procedures annually at community surgical and diagnostic centres across the province. This initiative is part of the 'Your Health' plan aimed at improving access to publicly-funded surgeries and procedures.

A call for applications for new licences has opened, with new licences expected to be issued starting in Winter 2025. These new licences will connect nearly 60,000 more people to GI endoscopy procedures each year. The expansion is intended to reduce wait times from the date the order or requisition is received to the date the procedure is performed.

This initiative follows a previous call for applications launched in June to increase access to MRI and CT scans, aiming to connect nearly 100,000 more people to these services annually. A third call is planned for the fall to expand access to orthopedic surgeries.

The Ontario government has highlighted several achievements since the launch of the 'Your Health' plan, including achieving the shortest surgical wait times of any province in Canada in 2023, funding additional MRI and CT operating hours, adding new MRI machines in hospitals, and eliminating the backlog of cervical cancer screening tests by the end of August 2023.

All new community surgical and diagnostic centres will be required to provide detailed staffing plans, report into the province’s wait times information system, and participate in regional central intakes where available. These centres will also be under the oversight of Accreditation Canada’s new quality assurance program, which aims to ensure consistent patient safety and quality care.