Pandemic has left backlog of almost 16 million medical procedures in Ontario, doctors say

The COVID-19 pandemic has left an estimated backlog of 15.9 million surgeries, diagnostic exams, screenings and other medical procedures that should otherwise have been performed in Ontario, the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) says. 

That averages out to more than one missed medical procedure per Ontario resident, said OMA president Dr. Adam Kassam in an online media briefing on Wednesday.  

“COVID-19 cases in Ontario are finally falling,” he said. “But three significant waves of infection have created a lengthy backlog of surgeries, diagnostic exams and other health-care procedures.”

In a statement, the OMA estimated that the top six missed or delayed procedures in