Incomplete Data Shows Patients Continue to Die on Waitlists in New Brunswick

 New data released today by Canadian think tank SecondStreet.org shows 51 patients died while waiting for surgery in New Brunswick last year (fiscal 2023-24). While this is a decrease from last year (77), it still only reflects part of the overall number, due to gaps in government data. 

“Patients are dying before they even get seen by a medical professional – but we don’t know how many because the Government of New Brunswick doesn’t collect data on patients who have died while waiting for diagnostic scans like MRIs,” said Harrison Fleming, Legislative and Policy Director at SecondStreet.org. “Sadly, many of these patients would have had a lower quality of life while they waited for treatment in their final years .”

SecondStreet.org began tracking this data in 2018-19. However, New Brunswick only began providing data on surgical deaths in 2020-21. Since then, 248 patients in New Brunswick have died while waiting for surgeries. Patients passed away while waiting for everything from critical procedures like heart surgery, to significant quality-of-life surgeries like cataract procedures.  

It is also worth noting that SecondStreet.org released new polling data earlier this year showing 65 per cent of Atlantic Canadians are avoiding the health care system altogether over fears of long wait times. 

“With nearly two-thirds of Atlantic Canadians choosing to stay home instead of getting the care they need, it’s impossible to know how many patients in New Brunswick have actually died because their health care system is in crisis,” said Colin Craig, President of SecondStreet.org. “With a clear lack of confidence in the health care system, the New Brunswick government should be looking at policies that have worked well in Europe and other jurisdictions with universal coverage.”

To see the Ministry of Health’s response to the Freedom of Information request – click here.